Getting It Together
by Creek-IB-08
Summary: The team has trouble after the events with Jeanne come to light. Will a case and time be enough to bring the family back together?
1. A Lover or A Fighter

Getting It Together

An NCIS / JAG Crossover Story

By: CLA

Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS or JAG. I Wish I did. This is for entertainment purposes only.

Ships: Tiva, McAbby, Jibbs, Harm/Mac

* * *

**Chapter 1: A Lover or a Fighter?**

The sound of the door slamming into the wall announced the arrival of Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs to Director Jenny Shepherd's office. She briefly glanced up from the files on her desk before calmly asking what it was that had him so upset this time.

"You want to know what has me so upset Jen? Do you really?" Gibbs questioned.

"Of course I do Jethro, or I wouldn't have asked you. Not that it really matters because you are going to tell me anyway." was her curt reply.

"Have you seen him Jen? Have you really looked at him recently? How could you do that to him? To _me_? Are you trying to destroy my team because you just may have succeeded." He vented, attempting to control the overwhelming urge to yell or throw something.

"What on earth are you talking about Jethro? Why would I want to do anything to your team? You should know me better than that." Jen attempted to placate.

"Don't play dumb Jen, it doesn't suit you. DiNozzo, this whole assignment, and your unhealthy obsession with The Frog. Thanks to you, DiNozzo is actually heartbroken over a girl, McGee is reluctant to trust him, Ziva refuses to speak to him unless absolutely necessary, and I had no idea what my best agent was doing half of the time, causing extra strain on our relationship and stress for him having to take heat for doing this for _you_! I would say that this obsession of yours has caused plenty of problems for my team! How could you not let me in on this?! DiNozzo didn't even feel he could come to me about this Jen! If I had known maybe I could have stopped some of this from happening."

"The best way to keep a secret is not to tell anyone, the second best way is to tell one other person if absolutely necessary, there is no third best Jethro. Does that sound at all familiar? It should since you're the one who taught me that rule." Jen countered, her voice steadily rising so as not to be interrupted by his attempts to argue. "And what would or could you have stopped from happening? It would have ended the same way regardless of whether you knew or not. Tony still would have had to end things with Jeanne and he would still be hurting. Besides, you retired Jethro! You put Tony in charge and you left! He was leading the team when he took on this assignment, and he did so willingly. There was no reason to tell you because YOU WEREN'T HERE!!!!"

Outside Cynthia cautiously answered the phone, attempting to keep the caller from hearing the raised voices on the other side of the door. "Director Shepherd's office…"

She was quickly cut off by a familiar voice, Tony DiNozzo. "Cynthia, what in the world is going on up there? The boss left to see the director five minutes ago and he didn't look happy."

"Tony you know I can't tell you that, even if I knew what was going on. Besides you really don't need any more gossip."

"Please?! I'll buy you lunch. … For the next week. Come on Cynthia, I'm board out of my mind down here. McGee wants to know too so it's not just for me. You have to help add some excitement to McGoo's live because we both know he can't find any himself." Tony continued to prod for information.

* * *

During the fight, Gibbs had managed to maneuver so that he had Jen backed up against the wall. They both stared at each other for a few minutes in an attempt to catch their breath and calm down, if only slightly. But while the anger seemed to ebb, it was quickly being replaced by another tension all together. Without warning, Gibbs suddenly captured Jen's lips with his own in a fevered kiss. "Jethro …" Jen attempted a warning tone, but it came out more as a plea. Any further protests where quickly put out of either of their minds in another breathtaking kiss.

* * *

"You know, I'm starting to get worried. It's been quiet in her office for two whole minutes now. You don't think he killed her do you?" Cynthia asked jokingly.

"Naw, if anything she would have killed him. She is deceptively deadly and has a wicked temper" Tony countered. "Hey Probie, Cynthia thinks one of them killed the other. I wave ten bucks on Jen. You want in on the bet?" In reply he simply received a disdainful look from McGee who promptly went back to studying the file in front of him.

Before Cynthia had a chance to respond, the door to the office flew open and Gibbs walked purposefully away tossing a small smile her way as he passed. "Tony? Gibbs just left you better get back to work." She said quickly before hanging up and getting up to check on Director Shepherd, who she found sitting calmly behind her desk looking over files with a small smile on her face. Shrugging, she closed the door and returned to her desk to answer yet another phone call.

* * *

**Two minutes previous**

"Jethro, what do you have planned for dinner tonight?" Jenny asked while attempting to rearrange her clothes and smooth her hair.

"What did you have in mind?" Gibbs questioned, straightening his clothing as well.

"Come over tonight around 8 and you'll see. Now as fun as making out in my office is, I really need to get back to work if I want to be able to meet you for dinner." she replied going around to regain her seat and picking up the discarded file.

"Deal." Gibbs said as he reached for the door sharing a last smile with her before walking purposefully back to the squad room.


	2. A Lecture and A Dinner

**Chapter 2: A Lecture and a Dinner**

"With me" sounded in the squad room as Gibbs strode passed his team to the elevator. "And leave your gear" he added upon hearing the sound of drawers opening.

Confused the three agents exchanged worried looks as they dutifully followed after him onto the elevator. "Where are we going boss?" McGee voiced the question on all of their minds.

"Nowhere McGee." was the response as Gibbs reached over and flicked the stop switch on 'his office'. Three pairs of eyes shared a nervous glance before Gibbs turned around with a very serious expression on his face. "Grow up! All of you! You need to get over whatever the heck is going on between you and find a way to work together as adults. I don't care what you do but fix it! We are a team, but we cannot function as a team if you refuse to talk to each other and if you cannot find a way to trust each other." Gibbs looked each of his agents, his children, in the eyes and then turned and flipped the switch restarting the elevator. As the doors dinged open he stepped out to a chorus of "sorry boss" and made his way out the door in search of a fresh coffee.

The elevator ride back to the squad room was tense as no one wanted to be the first to speak. The doors opened and they each quietly made their way to their respective desks sitting down to finish the end of case reports that awaited them.

Two hours later Gibbs looked up and was surprised to find Ziva and Tony still sitting at their desks. "Go home and get some rest while you can. We are on call this weekend" he instructed and slowly they began to gather their things and leave for the night.

* * *

At 7:30 Gibbs made his way to the elevator to get changed and meet Jenny for dinner. The elevator doors opened to reveal Ducky.

"Leaving already Jethro? My but it is a bit early for you isn't it?"

"Usually you'd be right, but I have plans tonight Duck." Gibbs replied with a small smile as he proceeded to give Ducky a look that told him he would get no more information about it tonight.

At the garage, the two long time friends said their goodbyes and went their separate ways to their cars and then home.

When he got home, Gibbs quickly changed into a fresh shirt and picked out a bottle of wine before leaving once again to race across town. He reached Jenny's house with two minutes to spare and walked up to the door taking a slow calming breath before knocking.

"Hola, Senor Gibbs. The Director is in the study."

"Thank you Naomi. I can show myself in." Gibbs told the housekeeper making his way down the hall to Jenny's study. A wide smile spread across his face as he leaned against the door frame taking in the sight of Jenny sitting in the window seat staring up into the night sky as the moon washed her face in an almost ethereal light.

Feeling his gaze on her, a small smile lit her face. Without turning around she asked "Do you plan to stand there watching me all night or were you going to say something?"

"I was just admiring the view." he whispered from right behind her. She took the bottle of wine and poured them both a glass before joining him back at the window.

"To second chances?" she proposed as she handed him his glass.

"To second chances." he echoed, clinking his glass with hers before taking a sip of the bitter sweet alcohol. They shared a brief kiss before Naomi announced that dinner was ready and they walked hand in hand to the dining room for a candle light dinner.

Over dinner Gibbs and Jenny talked about anything and everything ranging from reminiscing about their time together in Paris to Gibbs' bond with his team, his surrogate family, gracefully skipping over the too painful memories and currently touchy subjects.

When the food was gone, they retired to the living room and continued talking and laughing for an hour or so before Gibbs declared that it was late and he needed to go to bed.

"You know I would love to invite you to stay here, but I think we need to take this slow Jethro. Paris was a long time ago and we are different people now. We can't just pick up where we left off, even if we want to, not if we really want this to work." Jenny said somewhat reluctantly.

"I know Jen. But that doesn't mean that I don't wish that we could just act like nothing has changed. I don't think I ever stopped loving you Jenny."

"Me neither Jethro. I thought you said you were leaving." She said with a laugh as he leaned forward for yet another kiss.

At the door they shared a few more passionate kisses before Gibbs finally managed to force himself to leave with the promise that Jenny was coming over Sunday afternoon for lunch and to help him work on his boat.


	3. An Unexpected Visitor and Revelations

**Chapter 3: An Unexpected Visitor and Revelations**

Anthony DiNozzo sat on his couch nursing his second beer while watching Weekend at Bernie's in a vain attempt to lift his mood. Instead of laughing with the movie, however, an endless loop of images was playing through his mind. Jeanne's face when he told her that he was not Professor DiNardo but in fact Agent DiNozzo, the look of utter relief on Ziva's usually stoic face as he stepped off of the elevator – alive, the hurt in her eyes when she realized that he had spent months lying to and keeping secrets from her, McGee's bafflement and look of disillusionment in Tony, Gibbs' disappointment barely masked behind understanding?, the momentary look of scorn from Abby. Over and over the pictures ran through his head. In a futile attempt to throw the train from the track he took another long drag of his beer. Nope, still there. He was brought out of his dizzying thoughts by a timid, almost inaudible knock at his door. Glancing at the clock he had almost determined not to answer when he heard a second knock, this time more sure and determined.

"Do you realize its 10:30?" he called throwing the door open, but any further words stopped in their tracks at the sight before him.

Ziva David stood on his door step seemingly waging a war within herself. She struggled to hold on to her anger and bury the tears that threatened to fall; voice the shouts within her without releasing the sobs threatening to make her fall to pieces in his arms. Finally taking a deep breath she spoke, with such quiet fury that Tony secretly worried that she would kill him on the spot.

"How could you do that to me of all people Tony? How could you keep such a big part of your life from _me_? We are supposed to be _partners_ Tony, _friends_. There is supposed to be a trust. Do you have any idea how stupid you made me look?"

"How did I make you look stupid Ziva?" Tony asked incredulously.

"I was worried about you! I was actually afraid that you were really really sick!" she said starting to lose her hold on her composure. "All I knew was that you were getting a lot of secret calls from the hospital and you kept a second phone that you always answered no matter what was going on. You would leave for hours at a time in the middle of the day, and stopped going out with the rest of us after big cases. I thought that you had developed a complication from the Y-Pestis. I even brought it up to Gibbs! God! I feel like such an idiot!" she screamed as she started hitting his chest. Somewhere in the middle of her confession however, the dam holding back the tears and sobs broke and by the end she was clutching desperately to Tony trying to catch her breath.

This broken Ziva terrified Tony more than an angry Ziva ever could. He had never seen her let go of her emotions so much before. Sure she had been upset when Roy died, but the Ziva he knew, _his Ziva_, was practically invincible. The sight of Ziva in so much pain stunned him, and at the realization that he was the cause, he felt a crushing weight settle in his chest. After the initial shock wore off Tony led Ziva to the couch and sat them down, cradling her to him. He softly stroked her hair and whispered soothing words in her ear as she cried herself to sleep.

Long after she had worn herself out into a sleep so deep she didn't even snore, he sat holding her close to his chest contemplating what she had revealed. He had had no idea she had been so worried about him. Yes, he knew that at one point she thought he might be sick. She had asked him about it, but he had thought that it was a passing concern that he had dispelled with his assurances that he was fine. The more he thought about her confession the worse he felt. He should have noticed that something was not right with her. He should have been able to see it. He had wanted to tell her about Jeanne, but there was no way that he could have. Was there? And why did she care so much anyway? They were friends, partners, nothing more. Right? She couldn't possibly be in love with him; that was just ridiculous. She was so far out of his league that even in his dreams she was just a fantasy.

* * *

The movie had long since ended, but Tony didn't notice. He sat watching Ziva sleep in his arms trying to figure out how in the world he could ever make all of this up to her. She was far too important to him for him not to fix this. He couldn't picture his life without her in it.

Memories of Jeanne and Ziva mixed in his head. The longer they danced around, the less Jeanne seemed to appear. More and more he would recall conversations he had shared with Ziva that were infused with deeper meaning that he had missed at the time.

"_Do you ever think about soul mates?" _

"_They were on Decca right? Big hit mid-seventies, sort of a disco thing? Sing a few bars, I'll get it." _

"_You'll never get it."_

"_Good plan … except for one thing."_

"_What is that?"_

"_As soon as I leave they will most likely put a bullet through your head."_

"_Why are you on top of me?"_

"_I'm protecting you."_

"_Well, that depends. What's in it for me?"_

"_Anything you want."_

"_I think McGee's right … It takes almost all of my will power to resist the urges I have when I'm around you, Tony."_

And that was when it hit him, he was in _love_ with Ziva David. Looking back at the woman in his arms he promised himself that he would make everything alright. Then he turned off the T.V. and gathering the sleeping woman in his arms, made his way to bed. Tony smiled as he lay next to Ziva in his bed. His last coherent thought before drifting off was that _if_ he could fix everything, he wouldn't waste his time hiding anymore. He would tell Miss Ziva David that he had fallen head over heels in love with her.


	4. Writer's Block and Abby

**Chapter 4: Writer's Block and Abby**

Tim McGee had been sitting at his typewriter for two whole records now. He just couldn't get over his most recent writer's block. No, that wasn't it exactly. The real problem was that anything he wrote about Special Agent Tommy right now completely went against the plot of the book. Tommy could go around chasing girls cavalierly or possibly actually get serious with one special girl, but unlike Tony, Tommy simply could not use a girl to get to her father while lying to his friends and boss. Unlike Tony, Tommy was too good to do something like that. Therein lay the problem, all McGee seemed to be able to write about at the moment somehow always worked back around to Tony's betrayal. Sighing in frustration, McGee glanced at the clock and figured that since it was already midnight and he clearly wouldn't get any serious writing done at the moment, he should just go to bed. Before he made it that far though, the phone rang.

"Timmy, its Abby. I didn't wake you did I? Oh god, I woke you up. I'm sorry. Of course you were sleeping, I mean why wouldn't you be its midnight? I can find someone else to come and get me. Never mind Timmy. I'll just let you get back to sleep and talk to you latter." She rambled on in typical Abby fashion.

"Abby … Abby! … ABS!! I wasn't asleep; you didn't wake me up so stop apologizing." McGee interrupted.

"I know it's a sign of weakness. Don't tell Gibbs ok? Wait, you weren't asleep? Why didn't you just say that then? " Abby went off again.

"Abby, what did you mean you would just get someone else to come and get you? What happened? Where are you?" McGee asked as he finally finished processing what she had said in her first spiel.

"Oh it's no big deal Timmy. I was at this club with some friends of mine, I don't think you know them or the club for that matter, but that's not really important is it? Anyway, I was driving home from the club and my hearse started making a thumping sound so I pulled over and you'll never guess what the problem was. My hearse just got another flat tire and apparently I forgot to get a new spare after the last time so I don't have one. And I would just call for a tow or triple A but it's late and I don't really trust those guys that work this late on jobs like that, besides, I might freak them out when they see me and then I would still be stuck …"

"Abby? Take a breath and then tell me _where_ you are _exactly_." McGee instructed fighting off the headache that accompanied trying to process his Abby this late at night.

"Sorry Timmy. I'm in the parking lot of a strip mall at the corner of Washington Blvd. and N. Quincy St."

"OK just sit tight and I will be there in about ten minutes." McGee replied grabbing his coat and keys as he left his apartment to rescue Abby.

Ten minutes later, McGee pulled into the parking lot and saw Abby dancing around her car to the song on the radio. Shaking his head he wondered just how much of this was caffeine, how much was alcohol, and how much was just plain Abby. When she saw him she ran up to him and enwrapped him in a hug that almost sent them both toppling to the ground.

"I'm glad to see you too Abby. Why don't you turn off your car and lock it up and I'll take you home. You can call for a tow in the morning."

Abby happily obliged and was soon settled in the passenger seat of McGee's car. "You don't have to take me all the way back to my place Timmy. It's more practical for me to stay at your place because it's late and you look tired and besides, I'm gonna need a ride tomorrow." At the slightly uncertain look that crossed McGee's face she added "Besides, we're both grownups and we can share a bed without it being weird. I mean it's not like it will be the first time or anything." She rambled on until he seemed more at ease, then lapsed into silence.

When McGee pulled back into his parking space he looked over to find that Abby had fallen asleep. Laughing quietly to himself about how quickly she could go from one extreme to the other, he made his way around the car to pick her up. Experience had taught him that it was usually easier and safer not to attempt to wake her, so instead he carried her up to his apartment and settled her in his bed. He then carefully removed her heavy platform combat boots and most of her jewelry before tucking her in with a kiss to the forehead. Setting her shoes by the door and jewelry on the dresser, he then went about his own nightly routine before quietly slipping into bed next to the beautiful Goth.

As McGee lie there waiting for sleep to come, he couldn't help but notice how different and peaceful Abby looked when she was asleep. He had always loved to watch her sleep. Unbidden, memories flooded him from a time when he and Abby were more than just best friends. He couldn't help but feel a twinge of regret and longing for the short lived relationship they had shared. Checking once again that she was really asleep, McGee gently brushed some dark hair out of Abby's face and indulged in a whispered "I love you Abby" before settling down to really get some sleep. Just before he drifted off her soft reply of "Love you too Timmy" and her warm lithe body snuggling into his lit his face with a gentle smile and promised pleasant dreams.


	5. Wakeup Calls

**Chapter 5: Wakeup Calls**

A shrill noise brought Tony out of a deep sleep. As he was brought into the world of the conscious he struggled to hold on to the wonderful dream he was having. In his dream he was lying in bed comfortably entwined with Ziva, her head resting lightly on his chest, her long brown curls gently tickling his chin. As he finally woke, however, the dream instead of fading became more real. He could feel the soft puffs of her breath on his bare chest. Glancing down he realized that it was no dream. Ziva David was using him as a pillow. He lay watching her sleep for a minute or two when the shrill ring sounded again. Looking around he noticed that his cell phone was ringing. Sighing he reached over to the bedside table to answer it. "DiNozzo."

"DiNozzo, get your lazy butt out of bed. We've got a dead petty officer in a park down town. Call McGee and David." Gibbs' voice sounded through the phone.

Stifling a sigh, Tony asked, "Don't you think it would be better if you called McGee? He's not exactly talking to me right now boss."

"No DiNozzo, I don't. If I did I wouldn't have told you to call him, would I?" Gibbs answered with an exasperated sigh.

"Right boss. I'll call them." Tony complied quickly before hanging up. Glancing once again to Ziva, Tony decided to wake McGee first and deal with the possible repercussions of Ziva waking in this position later.

McGee quickly reached for the ringing phone before it would have a chance to wake the woman sleeping next to him. " 'ello?" He answered groggily.

"Hey Probie."

"Look Tony, I really don't want to talk right now. Besides, isn't it kind of early for you to be up? It's only 0600." was the quick reply.

"I know what time it is Probie, and this is not a social call. Dead petty officer in a park down town. I'm texting you the address. Boss wants us there ASAP." Tony informed him before hanging up. "Great, now all I have to do is wake the assassin without her maiming me." Tony thought ruefully.

Smiling, Tony softly kissed the top of Ziva's head while running his fingers down the side of her face. She responded with a small smile of her own and snuggled closer into him. He laughed softly at how clingy a sleeping Ziva was and softly called out to her, "Ziva? … Zeeee-vaaah? … Time to wake up sweetcheeks. We gotta get to a crime scene."

"Time is it?"Was the muffled reply.

"Just passed 0600. Come on, get in the shower. I'll make you some coffee."

Slowly she opened her eyes adjusting to the light coming from the lamp beside the bed, taking in her surroundings and the soft voice talking to her. When she realized that not only was it Tony that was waking her, but he was her pillow, she tensed slightly but quickly regained her composure and sat up, resting against the head board.

"Well good morning sweetcheeks! Sleep well?" was Tony's cheery greeting.

"I slept fine, thank you. How did I get in here? The last thing I remember is sitting on the couch." Ziva said, attempting in vain to smooth her hair and press the wrinkles out of her shirt.

"Well, you were pretty worn out last night and I thought the bed would be more comfortable than the couch so I brought you in here. Now get up, we gotta get going. Do you have a change of clothes?"

"Ummm, I have an emergency kit in the trunk of my car."

"Alrighty then. You get in the shower and I'll start the coffee and go get your clothes." Somewhat reluctantly, they both got out of bed and headed to start getting ready to face the day.

* * *

**Meanwhile**

"Who was that Timmy?" Abby asked without bothering to open her eyes.

"Just Tony. I gotta go Abs. Dead petty officer." he said as he gathered some clothes from the closet and made his way to the bathroom to get ready.

Abby decided to get up and start some breakfast. "After all, it is the most important meal of the day, and Timmy will need it if he had to be at work this early" Abby thought.

As McGee walked out of the bathroom he noticed the great aroma coming from his kitchen. "You didn't have to make breakfast Abs. Its early, you could have gone back to sleep. I don't imagine Gibbs'll need you at the lab for at least two hours." he said walking into the kitchen with a smile on his face.

"Did you mean it?" Abby asked turning towards him suddenly. "What you said last night about loving me." she elaborated when he didn't answer right away.

"Of course I did Abby. I wouldn't have said it if I didn't mean it. Why?"

"Good, because I did too." she informed him with a brilliant smile and a kiss as she handed him a plate of eggs and toast. "Now hurry up and eat because I don't want Gibbs to kill you for being late."

"Me neither." He said as he took a bite of egg. "How are you going to get to work though? Your car is still where we left it last night." They both sat thinking as they ate. "I know" Tim suddenly said, "I'll just call Ziva to give me a ride and you can take my car." Glancing at the clock, he quickly fished out his phone and dialed Ziva's number.

* * *

Ziva had just finished getting dressed and was pouring herself a cup of coffee when her phone rang. "David" she answered without bothering to look at the caller ID.

"Hi Ziva, its McGee. Could you maybe give me a ride today? Abby had car trouble last night and she kind of needs my car today and I figured since we are going to the same place"

"Sure, no problem." she cut him off. "I'll be there in … 5 minutes."

"Thanks Ziva."

"What's up?" Tony asked walking into the room.

"I need to pick McGee up in 5 minutes." she said as she started gathering her things and headed for the door.

"Fine but we still need to talk Zee-vah." he said trailing after her.

"I know and we will. Later." She said giving him a quick kiss on the lips as she walked out the door, leaving a stunned Tony standing in the doorway.


	6. Jennifer Cotes

**Chapter 6: Jennifer Cotes**

"You can open your eyes now McGee! Honestly, my driving is not that bad." Ziva protested.

"Not that bad?! We almost hit two cars and a fire hydrant on the way here! I hope Abby gets her car fixed today." was McGee's retort.

Unfazed, Ziva replied with a distracted, "But we did not hit them, did we?"

"Why does Abby have your car McGee?" Tony asked joining the group.

"Are you going to stand around talking all day, or would you like to actually process the scene?" All three jumped at the gruff voice that seemingly came out of nowhere. "DiNozzo - pictures, David - bag and tag, McGee – sketch the scene." Gibbs delegated as he walked up to the medical examiner. "Hey Duck, what do we got?"

"Well, I won't know for sure until I get her home, but judging from these bruises and cuts on her arms, the poor girl put up quite the fight before her untimely demise. She has several stab wounds in her torso, any number of which could have been the fatal one. She also has signs of blunt force trauma on the back of her skull, possibly from hitting the ground, though I doubt it." Ducky listed.

"Ya got a time of death yet Duck?" Gibbs cut in.

"Her liver temp puts time of death somewhere between 2300 and 0200 this morning. One has to wonder what the poor girl was doing out here at that time of night, alone."

"That's what I intend to figure out, although she apparently wasn't alone for long." Gibbs replied walking off to check with his agents.

* * *

An hour and a half later, the team was finally done processing the scene and taking statements from the joggers who had found the body and the police who had initially responded, and had made their way to the squad room.

"What do we know?" Gibbs questioned marching into the squad room with his fifth coffee of the morning.

"Well boss, her name was Petty Officer Jennifer Cotes. She lived in Falls Church, Virginia and worked with the Jag Corp. I'm working on getting her bank and phone records as we speak" McGee quickly rattled off.

"Ziva, DiNozzo -"

"Check out her apartment. On it boss." Tony supplied as he and Ziva quickly gathered their badges, guns, and backpacks heading to the elevator.

As the doors of the elevator closed he could just hear Ziva tell DiNozzo to stop looking at her ass and the beginning of Tony's retort. Gibbs discretely hid his smile. Things were getting back to normal between those two at least. Now he just had to worry about Tony and McGee working it out, but he knew they would if given a little time. After all, they were like brothers and every younger brother has to be disillusioned at some point, but they eventually get over it and the relationship is always stronger for it in the long run.

* * *

The ride to Petty Officer Cote's apartment was quiet, but not awkwardly so. Ziva and Tony had silently agreed that whatever was happening between them, they needed to deal with that off the clock. For now both were focused on the case in hopes that they could solve it quickly and get back to that talk.

"There is no record of her having any kids or being in school, yet there is a backpack here with some textbooks. This is unusual, yes?" Ziva questioned looking around the apartment.

"Maybe." agreed Tony. "Look and see whose they are. Generally people write their names inside their text books."

Before she could follow his suggestion though, they heard a noise from the front door. Grabbing their guns they slowly made their way back through the apartment. "NCIS drop the gun!" they said in unison as they leveled their own at the man standing carefully just inside the door.

* * *

**Five minutes earlier**

Harm was just coming to check in with Maddie and Jen when he noticed that Jen's front door was ajar. After saying a quite curse, he pulled his gun and quietly crept towards the door, listening for any signs of trouble. As he reached the door he peered through the crack. Not seeing anything, he nudged the door open farther, cringing when it let out a not so subtle creak. He had just finished his visual search of the main room from the door when he saw a man and a woman come from the kitchen aiming their weapons at him.

"NCIS drop the gun!" they ordered.

Harm quickly complied holstering his sidearm before asking, "NCIS? What happened to Jen and Maddie? Where are they?"

"First, would you like to tell me who you are and what your relationship is to Petty Officer Cotes?" Tony sidestepped the questions, lowering his Sig and nodding at Ziva to do the same.

"I'm Commander Harmon Rabb Jr. I live upstairs and work with Jen. Maddie's my daughter. Are they in some kind of trouble?" Harm tried again.

"I am sorry to have to tell you this Commander Rabb" Ziva started.

"Call me Harm." He offered with a small smile.

"Alright, Harm. I am sorry to have to inform you that Petty Officer Jennifer Cotes was found dead this morning."

"What about Maddie? Where is she?" he asked trying his best to keep control of the dread that was building within his heart.

"I'm afraid we don't know at the moment. When was the last time you saw or heard from them?" Tony questioned trying to get as much information as he could while the commander still had a somewhat clear head. Time was of the essence if a child was missing.

"I had to work late last night on a case, so Jen offered to watch Maddie for the night. She left the office about … 1830. Maddie called me around 2000 to make sure that I had eaten and tell me goodnight. … They were just going to watch a couple movies and go to bed. When I hadn't seen or heard from them by 0900 this morning, I decided to check in on them. … Oh my God Maddie!" As realization finally began to sink in he lost his fragile grip on his emotions and sank into the couch in tears.


	7. Missing Maddie

**Chapter 7: Missing Maddie**

Tony and Ziva shared a worried glance at the news that a girl was missing. They knew they had to act fast, but to do that they needed her father to pull himself together. "Harm" Ziva ventured quietly. "We are going to need your help to find Maddie, OK? Do you have a recent picture of her that we could use?"

"Not on me, but up in my apartment." He said forcing the tears to stop their treacherous trek. He needed to be strong for Maddie.

"Good. What else can you tell me about her? Height, weight, age. Does she have any friends she might have gone to? Does she have a cell phone?" Ziva prompted as Tony pulled out his phone and walked a little ways away.

"She's 16, 5'7", 135 pounds. … I don't know about her friends. If she was in trouble she would just call me, or maybe Mac. Where did you find Jen? It would be easier to narrow down who she would go to if I knew where she was." He rambled in a detached tone that belied the emotion swirling in his eyes.

"We found Petty Officer Cotes in a park in downtown DC. Do you know anyone around there?"

"Um, Mac. Mac lives there! Sorry, Colonel Sarah MacKinzie."

"Ok good. We need her number and Maddie's if she has one."

"Of course."

"Officer David, why don't you take him to get that picture of Maddie while I finish up here?" Tony suggested flipping his phone shut after putting out an amber alert on Maddie. Ziva nodded and followed Harm up to his apartment as Tony gathered up the computer and a few fingerprints from the apartment.

* * *

"Probie, I need you to get a location on this number right now." Tony announced as he handed a piece of paper with Maddie's cell phone number to him. "Boss, you're not going to like this. Petty Officer Cotes was watching a neighbor's 16 year old daughter last night. Ziva's bringing the dad up now. I'm gonna get this stuff down to Abby."

The look that crossed Gibbs' face spoke volumes. However, before he could say anything, Ziva stepped off the elevator followed by an attractive, albeit devastated looking man. "Gibbs, this is Commander Rabb, Maddie's father. Harm, this is Special Agent Gibbs, my boss." she introduced.

The two men shook hands but before either could say anything, a slightly anxious "Um, boss, I think you should see this." came from McGee's desk. Glancing at him Gibbs bit back the urge to simply tell him to put it up on the plasma and walked around behind him to look at the monitor.

"I need to make a call and get someone to cover for me in court today." Harm said as he made his way over to the window to allow the agents to do their job. Dialing the phone he wondered just how much he should divulge. If Bud was going to cover for him in court, he couldn't be thinking about Jen and Maddie and Harriet really didn't need the stress right now. He took a deep calming breath as someone picked up the phone on the other end.

"Hello? Roberts' residence." AJ answered the phone stumbling though the proper greeting his mother had been teaching him.

"Hi AJ, its Harm. Is your dad there?"

"Hi Harm. Daddy!!! Phone!!! He's coming."

"Bud Roberts."

"Bud, its Harm. I hate to do this to you on the weekend, but something came up and I need you to cover for me in court today. It's just an arraignment and the file is on my desk."

"Sure, I can cover for you. Is everything alright? You sound kind of off."

"No everything is not alright but I'll explain latter. Give me a call when you get out of court and we can talk. Thanks Bud, I owe you. Look I gotta go." Harm said quickly hanging up the phone before his voice could betray the situation any further. He stood for a minute looking at the phone in his hand trying to decide if he should call Mac when he remembered that she had to be in court today as well. He would just have to wait. She would call when Bud showed up instead of him. Sighing, he slipped the phone back into his pocket.

* * *

**Meanwhile**

"Boss, I was going over security camera footage from stores around the park and I found this" McGee said, trying to keep his voice down and glancing nervously at Harm.

"Well, show me McGee!"

"Right, sorry boss." The three agents crowded around the monitor and watched as two men with ball caps followed the two women down the street and disappeared as they crossed the street to the park. Five minutes later, Maddie came running by another camera looking terrified and watching over her shoulder. Unfortunately, she was not fast enough and one of the men caught up to her at the last store on the street. They watched mesmerized as a van materialized around the corner and the man shoved Maddie into the back before it took off.

"Get out a BOLO and find that van!" Ziva walked quickly over to her desk and called in the BOLO while Gibbs continued to give instructions. "And get me a license plate before sending this to Abby to see what she can get off of it. Where are you with the trace on the girl's phone?"

"The phone is turned off boss, but as soon as it's turned back on I'll be able to get a location. I've been through Petty Officer Cotes' records and nothing seems off about them. No real changes in her bank account activity or unusual phone calls, but I'm running through all of the numbers anyway." McGee informed Gibbs half suspecting him to order him to find a useable lead.

* * *

**Down in Abby's lab**

"Hey Abs, I got fingerprints and the computer from the apartment to start." Tony said cheerily as he entered her lab. "I hear you were having car trouble this morning, anything I can do to help? McGeek really doesn't like driving with Ziva." He continued handing her the box and clipboard to sign.

"Do you have any idea how much evidence Gibbs wants me to go through?! And everything is top priority! I am only one person. And by the way, where is my Caf-pow?" she complained as she accepted the clip board and signed for the evidence. "And I just got a flat again, but I didn't have a spare so I needed a lift last night and it just made since for me to use his car since I was already there and didn't have to leave for at least an hour and he and Ziva were going to the same place. What is it with my hearse and flat tires? I mean really, it's not like I drive like Ziva and pick up all kinds of things in my tires, but I keep getting flats. Half of the time it happens when I really need to get somewhere like after Gibbs got blown up. So anyway, I ask you Tony, why do you think …"

"Abs, I need you to take a breath, give me back the clip board, and run these fingerprints against all the prints from where the petty officer was killed." Tony cut in.

"Oh, do we have a suspect already? That was fast. Usually it takes a lot longer than this, but I guess you never know." Abby went on happily ignoring Tony's further attempts to cut her off while scanning the prints to compare to the scene.

"No Abs, we don't have a suspect right now, we have a missing 16 year old girl." Gibbs announced walking into the lab holding a Caf-pow. "So, what do you got Abs?"

"I don't know yet Gibbs, you just walked in and you beat my babies, but if you wait a minute I'm sure they'll catch up to you. And what do you mean there is a missing girl? I thought that Cotes didn't have any kids."

"She doesn't, but she was watching a neighbor and we have video of them being followed and then the girl getting shoved into a van."

"Since when Boss? I was just up there a couple of minutes ago." Tony said.

"Then it's obviously been since you've been down here DiNozzo."

"Gibbs, I could really use some help down here. Maybe McGee can go through the laptop while I finish running the evidence." Abby said with a sweet smile as she reached for her beloved Caf-pow.

"Not yet Abs, you haven't given me anything yet." Gibbs chided as he gave her his half smirk. "Besides, I have McGee going through the surveillance videos looking for anything to identify the men that killed Petty Officer Cotes and kidnapped Maddie."

As Tony walked out of the lab he heard the beep of one of Abby's machines followed by her squeal of delight when Gibbs gave her the caffeinated drink.


	8. A Lead

**Chapter 8: A Lead**

Two hours later, the mood in the squad room was tense and the usual jesting was noticeably missing. There was still no known motive for the kidnapping. Ducky had determined that the official cause of death was exsanguination from being stabbed multiple times, not that that helped to find the girl. And there was still no location from the cell phone or on the van.

"Tell me you have something Abs." Gibbs ordered as he walked into her lab.

"Of course I do Gibbs." was the cheery reply. "OK, so the guys who did this weren't very smart. They didn't wear gloves. Now as you know we didn't find the murder weapon at the scene, so there were no prints from that, however, I managed to pull a couple latent prints off of Petty Officer Cotes' arm where one of them grabbed her. Even better, after I watched that surveillance tape, I noticed that the guy chasing Maddie stumbled and steadied himself on the wall of this store." She said, pausing the tape at the appropriate place. "So, Timmy went and got me a full hand print. The best part is that they didn't match, so we have prints for both of the bad guys."

"Have you found matches or not Abs?"

"You wouldn't have shown up if I didn't. The partials belong to James Peterson. The one who grabbed Maddie is Derik O'Conner. I don't know what the connection is though." Abby said, before noticing that once again Gibbs was gone before she could finish talking.

* * *

"Derik O'Conner and James Peterson." Gibbs announced walking to his desk.

"On it boss" Tony and McGee said together. "I'll take O'Conner, Probie. You get Peterson." After a brief nod of acknowledgement both men turned to their computers to pull up information on their man.

Five minutes later, both boys jumped up vying to be the first to share the information they had uncovered. "O'Conner was arrested for B&E in '03, aggravated assault in '04 after a bar brawl, but there is no indication that he's ever been into anything this heavy before Boss." Tony started.

"Peterson has a more serious rap sheet. He was arrested in '97 for kidnapping and just released six months ago. I haven't found a connection to either Petty Officer Cotes or Commander Rabb. Yet." McGee added.

"I will go talk to Harm and see if he knows either of these men. Can you print me pictures please McGee?" Ziva asked. McGee quickly ran off a couple of pictures and Ziva grabbed them from the printer on the way to the conference room where Commander Rabb was waiting. As she approached the door, she overheard Harm talking to a woman.

* * *

**Half an hour earlier**

"Harm? Is everything OK? Why weren't you in court today?" Mac's worried voice came through his phone.

Taking a deep breath he decided that it would be easier to tell her in person. "Mac, can you do me a favor and meet me at the NCIS building at the Navy Yard?"

"What's wrong? You didn't get arrested again, did you?" she tried to lighten his somber mood.

"I'll tell you when you get here." he said with a small smile on his face.

"Sure, I'll be there soon." she said before hanging up, more confused than ever. The last time she had heard him sound so dejected had been when he had found out his father was in fact dead. Whatever was going on couldn't be good.

She arrived at NCIS fifteen minutes later and he met her in the lobby. As soon as he saw her he walked straight to her and gave her a tight hug. Completely at a loss, she just hugged back. As he regained some of his composure, he led her to the elevator. The ride was silent, with Mac constantly sending worried glances Harm's way and Harm staring resolutely at the doors. He didn't speak until he had led her to the conference room and they were both seated.

"Mac, I don't know what to do? I can't lose her Mac, I made a promise to keep her safe." he began.

"Harm, what are you talking about? You can't lose who?" Mac asked trying to piece things together.

"Maddie. She's been kidnapped. And Jen's dead." His voice was barely audible as he recited the known facts in a voice that did little to hide the anguish he felt. "I had to stay late last night, so Maddie stayed with Jen. When I hadn't heard from them this morning I went to check on them, and I found NCIS going through Jen's apartment. Jen was found dead this morning. Murdered. And Maddie was missing. But then they found a tape of Maddie being shoved into a van."

Mac didn't know what to say. She was having a hard time processing it. Why would anyone want to take Maddie or kill Jen. Tears filled her eyes as she once again pulled Harm into a tight embrace. She wanted to ask why he had waited so long to tell her, why he hadn't told Bud. She wanted to reassure him that it wasn't his fault. She wanted to tell him that everything was going to be Ok and they would find Maddie and they could pretend the entire nightmare hadn't happened. But Jen was dead and they couldn't just pretend. And she couldn't tell him it would all be Ok because she knew he didn't need empty reassurances. So she held him and rocked him gently as he finally allowed himself to cry, and she let a few tears make their way down her own face, before sniffling them back to be strong for the man that had always been her strength. The man she loved.

* * *

A while later, Harm had managed to collect himself again and kissed Mac on the cheek giving her an apologetic look. "I just don't know what to do. I promised Maddie and her father that I would take care of her. I feel responsible for Jen too. Do you remember when we first met her? You couldn't stand her."

"But you had faith in her Harm. And look how much that faith did for her. You turned her whole life around. She got her act together and became a great woman. She grew on me, even after the bracelet incident." Mac reminisced.

After a short silence Mac could no longer keep all of the questions quiet. "Harm, have you told Bud and Harriet or Sturgis? They'll need to know."

"I know, I just couldn't do it. Bud needed to focus on the case today and Harriet really doesn't need the added stress of worrying about Maddie when there's nothing any of us can do. And I just, I just couldn't tell them. If I told anyone it would be really happening."

"You told me" She gently reminded him.

"Yeah, I told you" was the whispered reply. Harm took a deep breath and pulled out his phone. I'll call Sturgis first. It'll be easier to tell him, he didn't know Jen too well. But do you really think it's a good idea to tell Harriet after all the trouble she's been having with the pregnancy?"

"Yes I do Harm. Bud and Harriet are our best friends, we can't keep this from them. They care about Maddie and Jen too. If you tell Bud, he will figure out the best way to tell Harriet. She'll be fine. Now make the calls, I'm right here with you."

With that, Harm punched in Sturgis' number and began the arduous task of informing his friends that Jen was dead and his little girl had been kidnapped. Mac held tightly to his hand, squeezing occasionally to assure him that she was with him and he would be fine. The call to Sturgis was fairly short and straight forward. The call to Bud on the other hand was so difficult, that Mac had to finish the conversation for him. After many assurances that they would call as soon as they knew anything, Mac finally hung up and Harm pulled her into his arms. This time comforting her, his best friend and love of his life. He knew that somehow, like everything else in their lives, they would get through this together.


	9. Saving Maddie

**Chapter 9: Saving Maddie**

Ziva waited a moment outside the door then knocked quietly, not really wanting to interrupt their conversation, but needing to know as soon as possible if Harm recognized either of the men responsible. When she heard a muffled reply, she opened the door and walked to the table introducing herself to the woman before getting to the matter at hand. "Hi, I'm Officer David, Ziva. You must be Mac. I am sorry to interrupt, but Harm I need you to look at these pictures and tell me if you recognize the men." With that she set the two pictures on the table and watched his face for a reaction.

Harm studied the faces of the two men. One looked vaguely familiar, but he couldn't recall why. Finally he sighed. "The one on the left resembles someone I've met, but I can't place either man" he sighed resignedly.

"OK, do the names Derik O'Conner or James Peterson mean anything to you?"

"Last month I was the prosecutor for a case against a Jim O'Conner. Come to think of it, this man does resemble Jimmie. Are these the men who took my little girl?"

"I am afraid so. But this is good news. Now we know who took Maddie and why. We are already tracking them down, trying to find her. It was good to meet you Mac. I should really get back to work now." Ziva gave the couple a last reassuring smile before leaving the room to update her team and find Maddie.

* * *

When Ziva returned to the squad room, she quickly started to update the team. "Harm says that about a month ago he prosecuted a man, Jimmie O'Conner. He thinks that he may be related to Derik O'Conner."

"McGee, find the connection between the O'Conners and get me the case report for Jimmie" Gibbs barked as he started towards the elevator to for yet another coffee.

As the elevator doors closed, the phone on Tony's desk rang. "DiNozzo. … Great, where was that? … And is it still there? … No, just tell them to keep an eye on it and we'll be there soon." Tony lobbed a paper ball at McGee's head as he hung up the phone. "Gear up and gas the car Probie. I'll call Gibbs."

"What's going on Tony? We get a hit on the BOLO?"

"No, I just thought that we should drive around aimlessly and hope to find them McSlow." However, after receiving a glare from Ziva, he decided to drop the sarcasm for the moment. "Yeah, local LEO found the van in the warehouse district. They're gonna sit on it till we get there."

As he tossed keys to McGee, he grabbed his cell and hit speed dial one.

"Yeah, Gibbs."

"We got a hit on the BOLO in the warehouse district Boss."

"Well, what are you waiting for DiNozzo? We should probably get going, don't you think?"

Before Tony even had a chance to reply, the elevator doors opened to reveal Gibbs holding a fresh coffee and hanging up his phone. Tony and Ziva quickly grabbed their gear and ran for the elevator.

* * *

When the team pulled up outside the warehouse, they put on their vests and ear-wigs while scoping the place out. "DiNozzo, David you take the back. McGee, you're with me." And with that little instruction, they were off to their designated areas to raid the warehouse.

"All clear back here Boss. No sign of them." Tony said as he carefully peered through the windows on the back side of the run down building.

"Alright, everyone be careful. We don't know for sure how many of them are in there. On three. … One, two, three" Gibbs instructed.

They threw open the doors and entered the building with their weapons drawn and ready. Slowly and methodically, they began clearing the building. About the middle of the room, Ziva spotted the two men just beyond a pile of crates. She signaled for Tony to take cover then informed the other pair. "I see O'Conner and Peterson in the middle of the large room. We're in position. I don't see the girl though."

"McGee and I are approaching. Follow my lead" was the hushed response. Half a minute later Gibbs and McGee stepped into view. "NCIS! Put your hands above your heads."

O'Conner and Peterson shared a fleeting glance before pulling their guns and backing away from the two armed agents. Tony and Ziva stepped out and made their presence known as the kidnappers got closer. O'Conner whipped around quickly and took aim at Ziva.

Suddenly a shot rang out, followed by five more in quick succession. Time seemed to slow to a crawl. What seemed like hours later the echo of the volley was still ringing in Tony's ears as everything seemed to suddenly slam back into normal time. When he looked around, McGee was cuffing Peterson and Ziva had already cuffed O'Conner and was in the process of alternating between threatening his life and daring him to move. When he took stock, he noticed that O'Conner had been shot in the right shoulder by Ziva causing him to reflexively pull the trigger but miss his mark. Peterson had been shot in the left knee and tight shoulder as well. None of the team had managed to sustain any injury.

"DiNozzo, stop standing around and take David to look for Maddie before she kills this guy." Gibbs ordered.

With the not so subtle prompting of his boss, Tony grabbed Ziva by the elbow and hauled her off of her prisoner. "Come on Sweetcheeks. You heard the boss. You can't hurt the bad man, but you can help me save the girl" he said with his 1000 watt smile.

She gave him a disdainful look before yanking her arm away. "I really don't appreciate the patronizing tone Tony" she said trying in vain to keep the disapproving look on her face and the small smirk off. Looking around the poorly lit building, she noticed a metal door. "Bongo! I believe that we will find Maddie over there" Ziva announced pointing to the door.

"I think you mean 'bingo' Zee-vah" Tony corrected automatically as they walked over to the door. He cautiously opened the door, not quite sure what to expect on the other side, neither of the men were talking.

Ziva took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the gloom of the small, windowless room. In the corner sat Maddie. "Hey Maddie, my name is Ziva. I am with NCIS. We're here to take you home" she quietly announced as she walked into the room. When she made it to the girl's side, she found her unconscious. "Tony, a little help here please."

"Sure thing Sweetcheeks" he said as he walked to her side and picked the unconscious girl up gently in his arms. He carried her back to the main room where paramedics were already patching up the two murderer/kidnappers. When they saw him, they came to meet him with a stretcher.

"She seems ok, just a little dehydrated and it looks like she took a pretty nasty blow to the back of the head. There are no signs that she sustained any other injuries or was injected with anything though. I'm just gonna start an IV" the paramedic said after examining Maddie. The whole team let out a collective sigh of relief.


	10. The Hospital

**Chapter 10: The Hospital**

"Ziva, you go with Maddie to the hospital. Call her dad and let him know what's going on. Have him meet you both there" Gibbs ordered.

"On it Boss" Ziva responded before turning to the paramedics, "Where are you taking her?" she asked the paramedic as she got in the back behind Maddie.

"DiNozzo, McGee. We have a crime scene to process. We still need to find that murder weapon" Gibbs continued distributing orders. "McGee, check out the van. DiNozzo, starting sketching and shooting the building.

"On it Boss" the two replied hurrying off to their designated tasks.

* * *

Harm and Mac were startled out of the silence that had enveloped them by the ringing of a phone. "Rabb" Harm said as he answered his cell to an unknown number.

"Harm, its Ziva. We have found Maddie. She is ok nut we are on our way to Uni Hospital now to get her checked out by a doctor. You and Mac can meet us there."

Harm let out a deep relieved sigh as a large smile broke out over his face. "We'll be there as soon as we can. Thank you so much." As he hung up the phone he turned to Mac. "They found her. She's ok. We gotta get to Uni Hospital."

As the news set in, a large smile lit her face as well. "What are we waiting for? Let's go!" With that they were out the door and too excited to wait for the elevator, took the stairs down to the parking garage. Once they were settled in Mac's car with Harm behind the wheel, Mac pulled out her phone to share the good news with their friends.

* * *

Ziva was waiting in the hall when she saw Harm and Mac come running in the doors. "Harm, Mac. She is in with the doctors right now. The paramedics said it looked like she was just dehydrated and had a concussion. She's right over there if you want to see her" Ziva summed up pointing to a curtain down the hall a ways.

Harm took off towards the curtain while Mac stayed with Ziva to ask a few more questions. "So you caught the guys, right? You arrested them for killing Jen and taking Maddie?"

"Yeah we got them. There is no way they are getting away with this. Now go, be with Harm and Maddie. I need to call my boss and update him anyway."

* * *

"Yeah Gibbs."

"Boss, Mac and Harm are here. I haven't heard from the doctor yet, but Maddie seems to be ok. I can come back to help if you need me."

"No Ziva, stay there until she wakes up. You don't have a car anyway. I'll have someone pick you up when we are done here."

"I can take a cab Gibbs."

"You could, but you're not going to. Hold on just a minute … Ziva, I gotta go, just hang tight."

* * *

**Two minutes previous**

Tony was busy snapping pictures of the dingy building when he noticed something reflect the light of the flash. He carefully moved the boxes to discover a knife covered in blood. "Maybe these guys weren't as smart as I thought. They kept the knife" he thought to himself. Out loud he said "Hey Boss? I think you'll want to see this."

"What is it DiNozzo, I'm on the phone with Ziva."

"Is the girl OK?"

"DiNozzo!"

"Right Boss. I think I found the murder weapon."

"You think?!"

"Well, it's a bloody knife, but we won't know for sure until it's tested right?" was the cheeky reply.

"Ziva, I gotta go, just hang tight" he said before snapping his phone shut and walking over to where Tony was beaming. "Well, where is it DiNozzo?"

* * *

"She's awake now" a nurse informed Ziva.

Ziva thanked the woman before walking towards the curtained off area where the happily reunited family was. "Hey, I heard she was awake" Ziva said walking up to Mac.

"Yes, the doctors want to keep her overnight for observation. She needed some stitches for her head and she's on an IV, but all in all she's ok."

"Does she remember what happened?" Ziva questioned watching Harm and Maddie with a smile on her face.

"Bits and pieces. She hasn't said much. She just woke up and she's pretty groggy still from the whole experience." Turning to Maddie she continued louder, "Maddie, this is Officer David from NCIS. I think she has a few questions for you."

"Please call me Ziva" Ziva encouraged moving closer to the girl. "I just have a few simple questions for now. We can hold off on most of them until after you are released. Is it ok if I call you Maddie?"

"Sure, I guess. Do you know my dad?"

"Yes, we have met. Do you think you could give us just a moment?" she asked turning to the other two adults.

They both nodded as they walked off to get some coffee promising to be back soon.

Turning back to Maddie, Ziva began. "Maddie what is the last thing you remember clearly?"

"Jen and I were downtown. We decided to get take out at this great Tai place and then we were going to rent some movies. We took a shortcut through the park. There were men following us and they knew my name. Then they caught up to us and … one took out a knife … Jen told me to run … the second guy started chasing me. After that I really don't know. There are little bits, like pictures almost, but they don't make much sense." Suddenly her eyes went wide as though she had just realized something. "Ziva? What happened to Jen? Is she OK?!"

Ziva took a deep calming breath. How do you tell a young girl that their friend was killed? She guessed that a direct approach would be best. Doing her best to look Maddie in the eye and hold her own emotions in check she quietly said "I'm very sorry Maddie. Petty Offi – Jen is dead."

Maddie just stared at her for a few seconds that felt like hours until the truth of those three words finally sank in. Her friend, the woman who was so much like a big sister to her, was dead. Jen was dead and she was still alive. What had Jen done to deserve that? Slowly, tears began to make their way down her cheeks. At first just a few, but before long, great wracking sobs.

Ziva looked around for Harm or Mac. She was no good with emotion. She was trained that emotions were a weakness after all. But, Maddie looked so lost, so desperately in need of comforting that Ziva found herself sitting on the edge of the hospital bed, cradling the girl in her arms.

That was how Tony, Harm, and Mac found the pair five minutes later. With Maddie sleeping in Ziva's arms. The Israeli woman gently stroking her hair and back softly singing a Hebrew lullaby her mother had sung to her as a child.


	11. Family? and Confessions

_I am sorry for the goof up earlier. Somehow chapter 9 got uploaded as chapter 11. Here is the real chapter 11._

**Chapter 11: Family? and Confessions**

The three waited until Ziva had finished her song. Then Tony quietly called out to her. "Ziva? It's time to go. Gibbs wants us to finish our reports before we go home."

"I am coming Tony. Just hold your ponies."

"Horses."

"What about horses?"

"The saying. It's 'hold your horses' not 'ponies' Zee-vah." By this time, Ziva had managed to settle Maddie back onto the bed. Turning to the other adults in the room Tony added, "Give us a call when she is released and we can arrange for her to come in and give her statement. Goodnight."

"Goodnight Harm, Mac. Maddie is a strong girl, she will be fine. She will start to remember more with time. She will probably have nightmares, it is nightmares yes?" at Tony's nod she continued, "for the next few nights. You can call me if you need anything." That being said, she allowed Tony to lead her to the car. Behind them Harm and Mac let out the chuckles that they had been holding in since the absurd exchange between the two at the end of her song.

"Those two certainly are a pair, aren't they? Do you think they are dating yet?" Mac mused aloud.

"Not yet, but I don't imagine it will be much longer." Harm chuckled.

At a moan from the bed, they turned as one to check on Maddie.

* * *

"You are not driving. We are leaving the hospital, I would rather not have to come back in an ambulance" Tony taunted as they neared the car.

"Fine. I am actually kind of tired anyway." After they had settled into the car she decided to pick up a different conversation. "So now that we have found the girl alive, we will have that talk you promised yes?"

"Yes Ziva. We will have that talk soon. But I don't think it will be tonight."

"Why not? You are not getting cold legs are you?"

"Feet. Cold feet, and no I'm not getting cold feet, but I think I'll take the Probie out for drinks tonight. We really need to talk too and the sooner the better."

"So McGee is more important to you then me then yes?" Ziva pretended to pout.

"No, but we have already worked through our stuff some and McGee is still not talking to me unless he has to" Tony replied missing the teasing nature of her question.

"Really, it is ok Tony. I understand. You do not like to be so at odds; this is a saying yes, with your little brother."

"Yes it is a saying and what do you mean my 'little brother'?"

"You may never admit it out loud Tony, but McGee is like a little brother to you. You love to tease him and play jokes on him, but whenever anything serious happens, you two take care of each other. And I have notice that you do not let anyone else mess with him. Just look at the way you were after he shot that cop. Sure you made fun of him for it, but you went to make sure that he was ok and you would not let any of the other agents say anything bad about him for it." Feeling that she had successfully made her point, she stopped talking and watched the city go by outside her window.

"Well … I uh … I let you mess with McGeek!" Tony finally shouted triumphantly. Her only response was to laugh.

Secretly he had to admit that she was right, although he would never let her know that. Tim was the little brother that he never had. If he stopped to think about it, Abby was like a baby sister, Ducky the eccentric uncle, Palmer the weird cousin, Gibbs the father he wished he had, and Jenny … well, he guessed Jenny was the step-mom who didn't always get him but meant well. He smiled a little to himself at his description of the team, his 'family'.

* * *

An hour later and Gibbs had managed to break O'Conner. He had been far too easy. All Gibbs had had to do was threaten him with the death penalty for killing Cotes combined with a glare and he began spilling everything. He had blamed Harm for his brother's imprisonment and decided that taking his daughter would be the best payback. He heard about Peterson through a friend of a friend. "Figured he'd be perfect since he'd done a kidnapping before." They had watched his apartment and noticed the two women leaving alone and decided to follow them. When they saw them cutting through the park, they took their 'perfect opportunity,' but "the one chick fought back and the girl ran. I didn't know he was gonna kill her, I swear! I just took off after the girl. She's what I was after anyways." They took her to the warehouse and locked her in the room. "Peterson hit her in the head when she wouldn't shut her trap in the van. He was just shutin' her up so no one would find us."

Peterson, on the other hand, was harder to break. It took a full half hour of Gibbs glares and the evidence of his fingerprints along with O'Conner's statement to convince him that he would not be getting a deal and he was definitely not getting out scot-free. He of course claimed that O'Conner had killed the petty officer.

* * *

By the time that Gibbs had wrapped up the interrogations, McGee and Ziva had already finished their reports and Abby had processed most of the evidence. The only one left with real work to do for the night was, of course, Tony.

They had all worked in near silence to finish their reports. Tony had attempted to joke with McGee to lighten the mood and bring back a sense of normalcy, but McGee wouldn't rise to the bait or even really acknowledge his presence. Tony noticed McGee getting his stuff ready to leave and decided that he really needed to talk to him now. "After all, the report can wait. I can't live like this much longer." Tony thought. He jumped up and ran to the elevator, sliding in with McGee just before the doors slid closed.


	12. Drinks and a Talk

**Chapter 12: Drinks and a Talk**

"Tony, you know you could have just asked me to hold the elevator." McGee stated dryly.

"Yeah, well I needed the exercise, besides, I'm not sure you would have held it open for me. Which is kinda what I wanted to talk to you about. You wanna grab a drink before heading home? I think we need to talk."

"Tony, I am not in the mood to talk."

"It's Boss's orders really, so if you wanna disobey Gibbs and risk a head slap, who am I to stop you?" Tony replied smoothly.

"Gibbs ordered us to go out and get a drink?" McGee scoffed, "I highly doubt that Tony."

"OK, so he didn't order us to go out for drinks, but he did order us to fix this. And to fix this McGenius, we have to talk. So I figured we might as well grab a beer while we talk." By this time they had reached the parking garage.

"Fine Tony. I'll meet you at the regular place. When should I be there?"

"Well, I'm just gonna grab my stuff and head over, so you should probably head that way."

"But you're not done with your report yet."

"Gibbs said it had to be done before we went home. I'm just taking a little break." Tony smiled smugly as the doors of the elevator closed.

McGee walked to his car shaking his head. Tony was so childish sometimes. There was no way he wasn't getting in trouble with Gibbs over this. "Oh well, it's not like he doesn't deserve a good head slap" McGee thought as he climbed into his car and started it up.

* * *

"How did your talk go Tony?" Ziva asked as Tony strolled back over to his desk.

"It wasn't a talk Zee-vah. It was more of a pre-talk."

"A pre-talk Tony? You are just making that up!"

"Well, yes I am, but the point is that I need to leave now to meet McGee at the bar."

"But you have not finished your report yet Tony. Are we not supposed to have them done before we go home? That is what you told me and it is why I am not asleep right now." Ziva responded starting to get frustrated.

"Yes, they need to be done before we go home, but I'm not going home now am I? I am going to a bar. I'll come back after I talk with McGoo. Besides I work better at night anyway."

"You and your bow holes Tony."

"Loop holes." Tony laughed.

Ziva simply growled at him and picked up her bag walking to the elevator then home to her comfortable bed.

Tony strolled up next to her and they rode down to the parking lot in a comfortable silence. "Good luck Tony" Ziva called out as she walked to her car.

"Good night Sweetcheeks!"

* * *

"I'll have a beer please Max" McGee said as he walked up to the bar. He still didn't know why exactly he was here. He was not in a mood to talk, especially to Tony. When his drink arrived another dilemma arose. How serious was this conversation going to be and did they need to move away from the bar? Sighing he decided to wait for Tony.

"Hey Tim, why don't you get a table while I get a drink" Tony suggested as he walked up next to his friend. "Max, I'll have a beer as well." Reminding himself how important getting through this was, he decided that a stronger drink would only lead to trouble, as tempting as it was. Retrieving his beer, Tony ambled over to McGee's table.

"Well, you got me here. Now what do you want to talk about?" Tim's tone was decidedly colder than normal.

"First I wanna apologize, but you can't tell Gibbs. Second we need to talk through this thing between us. Not to be all girly, but tell me how you feel and how I can help fix this." Having said that, Tony held his breath and hoped that the hardest part was over. He was never good at apologizing and preferred not to talk about the deeper things in life.

"Apology accepted I guess" Tim said a little warmer than he had started. "As for how I'm feeling … I feel … I guess … "now Tim had to figure out just what it was that he did feel. He had yet to put a title on the feeling he had been experiencing. Betrayal? Just plain hurt? Anger? That was certainly there, but there was something else, something bigger. "Disappointed." He finally decided. "Some other stuff too, but mostly disappointed. How could you just use someone like that DiNozzo? How could you lie to all of us for so long? You didn't even admit to having a girlfriend, let alone let us in on what was going on in your life. What if your car hadn't blown up, or The Frog decided to do something to you? We wouldn't have even known where to begin to look for you."

Tony let that sink in for a moment while drinking his beer. "I hear you Tim"

And there it was again, his first name. Tony never called him by his first name, never.

"And you're right. I should have let you guys in. I should have trusted you all more, not that I don't trust you" he quickly amended, "but, the director ordered me not to tell anyone. She said it would be easier that way. Easier to keep a secret. Easier to keep my cover life separated from my real life. I know it's no excuse for cutting you all out, but it started just after Gibbs left and I thought it would only last a couple of months before I could get something on The Frog. I felt honored that Jenny trusted me enough to carry out the mission. … It's no excuse, but it is a reason." Tony finished. Taking a long pull on his beer he found that he had finished the whole thing already. "I'm gonna get another, you want one?" he offered.

McGee held his beer up, examining the remaining amount through the bottle. "Yeah, I could use another" he answered before going back to processing what he had just been told. It was obvious that Tony felt bad about the whole situation. And deep down, he knew that Tony really never intended for things to get so out of hand and hurt anyone. But instead of it being a quick, simple, harmless op, Tony had hurt everyone. His team, the girl, and even himself. McGee had no idea what he would have done in the same situation. He didn't think he'd even take the job, but like so many things in life, you never really know how you would play a situation until you were there. By the time Tony returned, he had made a decision.

* * *

Tony stood at the bar watching McGee with the skilled eye of an investigator. McGee was not good at hiding his emotions and thoughts when he was trying. When, like this moment, he wasn't attempting to mask his thoughts, he was easier to read than a book. Tony watched the anger fade to disbelief to consideration, confusion, doubt, resignation, and finally acceptance and decisiveness. Tony just couldn't decide if the acceptance was geared towards him or Tim himself. When it appeared that the other man had reached some kind of conclusion, Tony returned to the table with a beer in each hand. He silently resumed his seat and set a bottle in front of McGee.

Both men sat in silence for a few minutes drinking and taking in the atmosphere of the bar. Finally, McGee had mentally written and rewritten his thoughts into the perfect words. "You did what you thought was best, Tony and I accept that. You still should have trusted the family with this, but I don't blame you for the choice you made and I'm not angry anymore. It will take some time to get over the disappointment though" Tim finished with a decisive nod of the head.

Tony watched McGee carefully through the speech, giving him his full attention. He flinched slightly at the use of the word 'family'. He really had let his family down and left them out. If anything, he felt the guiltiest about that. True he felt bad for lying to Jeanne, and he was a little heartbroken about the way things had ended, but it couldn't have really been true love since he wasn't really him, he always knew it would end eventually, and no matter how much he felt for Jeanne, Ziva was still in the back of his mind. After his 'brother' had said his piece, he took a quick drink of his beer, held out his hand, slapped on a patented DiNozzo grin and asked "So, we still brothers or have you decided to disown me?"

It took a full thirty seconds for Tim to come out of the shock induced by hearing Tony refer to them as brothers, but when he did, he shook the offered hand smiling as well. "Brothers?"

"Well, you're the one who called us a family. If the team's a family, that makes us brothers right? I mean you can't lump me in with Palmer as a cousin."

"No, 'brothers' works, I was just surprised to hear _you_ say it." McGee responded, and then they both laughed.

"To be honest, Ziva brought it up first. When I told her I was taking you out for drinks to talk she said she understood that I couldn't stand to 'be at odds with my little brother'" Tony admitted after a minute.

An hour and two beers later, the two brothers decided to call it a night. McGee to go home and rest for the next day, Tony to the office to finish up his report.


	13. Late Night Conversations

**Chapter 13: Late Night Conversations**

Tony had just closed his front door when his cell phone began to ring. "Please don't be work!" Tony said as he dug out the offending phone. He smiled when the display read _Ziva_. "Hey Sweetcheeks! What's up?"

"Must you call me 'Sweetcheeks', my Little Hairy Butt?" she replied with a smile in her voice.

"Yes" was his decisive answer.

"So I assume your talk with McGee went well? You sound happy. Tired but happy."

"Yeah, it went great. We talked for over two hours. I guess he is kind of a cool little brother." Tony laughed. "I think things are finally gonna get back to normal" he continued with a contented sigh.

"Good. I am happy that you worked it out. Wait, if you talked for over two hours, you must have just gotten home. You still had a lot to do at the office" she said concern just masked in her voice.

"Yep, you caught me just as I walked in the door. The paper work took _forever_! You wouldn't believe how tired I am" he played it up, trying to milk the sympathy he heard for all it was worth.

"Yes well, if you would learn how to type it would not take you so long. I am sorry you are so tired. I will let you go then and see you tomorrow" Ziva called his bluff.

"Ziva, wait! Don't hang up." There was silence on the line for a while.

"Tony, if you are not going to talk, there is no need for us to be on the phone" Ziva rationalized.

"I was just wondering … what are you wearing right now?" he asked making his voice reflect an added suggestiveness.

"Laila tov Tony. I will see you tomorrow!" Ziva said before hanging up. Seriously, sometimes she couldn't believe the nerve that he had. Still, her breath had caught in her throat for a moment and a smile had appeared on her face at the tone of his voice. Scolding herself for being so easily affected by her partner, she went to bed satisfied that he was alright.

As he heard the dial tone, tony laughed. He could perfectly picture the look of disdain and indignation he suspected would be on her face at his last comment. Tony considered popping in a movie, but as he struggled to stifle the third yawn in as many minutes, he decided he would just head to bed.

* * *

As McGee approached his front door, he noticed something leaning against it. As he got closer he recognized that something as Abigail Scuito. "Abby! What are you doing?"

Abby woke with a start. She whipped her head around so fast that her pigtails slapped her face blinking rapidly as the tall figure standing in front of her came into focus. "Timmy!!! Wait, what did you say?"

"I asked what you were doing" he repeated as he helped her back onto her plat formed feet.

"Well, I was waiting for you silly. What took you so long? I know you left work before I did."

"Tony took me out for a couple of beers" he explained opening his door and ushering her inside. "How long have you been waiting?"

"What time is it now?"

"11."

"Then … an hour and a half" she said quickly doing the mental math, "Wow, I must have slept for almost an hour! I can't believe your neighbors didn't notice anything. I mean I've been sitting out there – I was even singing for a while, not loud or anything, but still. What if I had needed help, or – Oh My Gosh!!! What if I was a criminal or freak or something and I was waiting here to hurt you! You have really bad neighbors Timmy; they don't care what happens to you. I think – "

"Abby! Calm down. Everything is ok, right? You're safe, I'm safe. My neighbors probably weren't concerned because they've all seen you before. This isn't the first time you've been to my place you know" he finished with a smile pulling her into a hug. "Just take a deep breath and relax."

"You're right Timmy. I guess its ok. I'm just over tired. Today was an eventful, long day. I was soooo worried about that girl and then we found her and she was ok and I was sooo happy and relieved and I've been up over 18 hours and … and … and I don't know" she left out a huff and collapsed onto the couch. "So, what did Tony want besides a drinking buddy? I thought you weren't talking to him."

"I wasn't, but he wanted to make things right between us and, don't tell Gibbs under Tony's orders, but he wanted to apologize for the way he handled the whole thing. He even called me his little brother."

"WHAT!!!"

"Shhhh. Yeah, I was shocked at first too, but if you think about it we are kind of like brothers."

"But you can't be brothers! That would just be gross" Abby said with the utmost conviction.

Tim tried to hide his smile as he attempted to follow her reasoning. "And why would that be gross Abby?" he asked with a surprisingly serious face.

"Because, I'm Tony's baby sister. Besides, I've known him longer so I get dibbs."

"I'm still waiting for the gross part Abs."

"If I'm his baby sister, you can't be his brother. You just can't! Because that would make _us_ brother and sister and then – that would be like _incest_ Timmy! So you and Tony CANNOT be brothers. Plain and simple" she finished triumphantly.

To Tim's credit, he didn't laugh for a good two minutes. However, when he processed everything for a second time, just to make sure he heard her right, he started to laugh. A deep rolling laugh that refused to be held in check.

"Don't you dare laugh at me Timothy McGee! It makes perfect sense and you know it!" When that failed to stop his laughter, she decided to take a page out of Ziva's book and resort to threats. "Timothy McGee! If you do not stop laughing at me, I will walk right out that door and not come back! Ever!" she knew she was being a little melodramatic, but it worked. He quickly stifled his laughter.

"But Abs, you have to admit that it is a little funny" he tried to reason with her. As she stood to leave he quickly back peddled. "I'm sorry Abby. Really I am. Maybe I'm just over tired too. But I am curious, if Tony and I can't be brothers, what are we?"

"In-laws" she sing-songed as she changed direction and headed through his bedroom door. "Are you coming to bed tonight Timmy, or are you just gonna spend the night on the couch with your mouth hanging open?"

Tim quickly shut his mouth and stood as he marveled at her ability to know what he was doing without even looking.

* * *

"So you still coming over tomorrow afternoon?" Gibbs asked as he strolled into the director's office.

"Jethro! First, I do not need my private life broadcasted around the office. Second, of course I am. I always keep my promises" she finished with a smirk.

"Relax; everyone is gone, for the most part. Cynthia can't over hear us. And I know you wouldn't back out of a promise, I just wanted to hear you say you'd be there" he replied with a smirk of his own, making his way around her desk to plant a kiss on her lips.

"So, you got confessions from both of the men?"

"Yeah, it was easy. Neither of them are terribly smart. Put a little pressure on them and they couldn't confess fast enough."

"So the case is wrapped up then?"

"Almost. I'm still waiting on DiNozzo's reports and a statement from the girl. Why? You checking up on me Director?"

"Do you need to be checked up on, Agent Gibbs?"

"That's … _Special …_ Agent … Gibbs … to … you" he replied between kisses before they both broke out in laughter, resting their foreheads against each other's.

"I know it's late, but have you eaten dinner yet Jen?"

"What did you have in mind Jethro?"

"Well, I don't know if you remember, but I make a pretty great chicken pasta dish."

"Oh, I remember. The last time you made that for me, we got … distracted and it burnt to a crisp. Come to think of it we didn't even eat that night but, it was definitely worth it." At the smug look on his face, she continued with a smug smile of her own. "The look on your face when you were woken up by every smoke detector in the house going off was priceless."

Gibbs responded with a stern glare. Jenny was unperturbed, however, having gotten used to his glares long ago. Instead of looking away, she engaged him in a glaring contest; which both were too stubborn to lose. It ended ten minutes later in a draw as they looked away simultaneously. "You ready for dinner now Jen?" Gibbs threw over his shoulder as he strode from the room.

"Right behind you Jethro" was the response as she quickly gathered her belongings and followed after his retreating back.


	14. Lazy Sundays

_Author's Note: 1st yes this is a long chapter, but i didn't really want to break it down into seperate chapters for each couple. 2nd i do not own the rights to any of the movies or songs referanced in this chapter. 3rd i'm sorry for going on about Jim van Fleet, but he is my favorite weather man / country singer and i think more people should know about him. everything abby says about him in the chapter is true. if you would like to hear the songs i took the lyrics from, i have uploaded a video on youtube of these sections of these two songs. the link is .com/watch?v=QLMlkhGCZek. ok, so this is a long enough note. back to the story._

**Chapter 14: Lazy Sundays**

Abby was woken by a combination of sun streaming across her face and McGee pulling her closer to his body. Turning over slowly and gently raising up so as not to wake her boyfriend, she noticed that it was 9:00. For a second she began to panic thinking that she had overslept. Sensing her tense, McGee mumbled something about it being Sunday before falling back into his dream.

Abby smiled as she took in the whole situation. It was amazing how right it felt to be waking up in McGee's arms for the second day in a row. She couldn't even remember why she had let him go in the first place, but she was determined not to let it happen again. Lying back down, she contemplated what they could do on their rare day off, once he finally decided to wake up.

* * *

At 9:30, McGee finally awoke. As he gained his bearings, he smiled noticing Abby's singing coming from the bathroom and the sound of the shower running. Truth be told, she did have a nice voice, when she chose to sing something instead of screaming along with her death metal. Listening closer he could just pick out the words:

Is it any wonder I'm not a criminal

Is it any wonder I'm not in jail

Is it any wonder I've got too much time on my hands

It's tickin' away with my sanity

I've got too much time on my hands

It's hard to believe such a calamity

I've got too much time on my hands

And it's tickin' away, tickin' away from me

Styx! She even surprised _him_ with her diverse tastes sometimes. As he heard the shower shut off, he got up to greet his girlfriend, he loved calling her that, and get a shower of his own.

Abby saw McGee's face in the mirror and stopped singing abruptly. "Timmy! You scared me. How much have you heard? How long have you been awake? Why didn't you -" she was cut off as his lips met hers.

"Morning to you, too Abs. And for your information, I think you sounded great." This earned him a brilliant smile and breathtaking hug. "Abs, I can't breathe!"

"Sorry Timmy! Do you really like the way I sing?"

"Yeah Abs, I love it" he answered as he stepped into the shower and turned on the water. She simply finished getting ready for the day and wandered into the kitchen flipping the stereo on as she passed.

* * *

As McGee finally made his way into his kitchen, he was once again shocked at his girlfriend's music selection. He stifled a chuckle as he stood in the doorway watching her sing at the top of her lungs, almost overpowering the radio, dance around the kitchen and make breakfast.

It might not be forever but for now

I'll take it with a grain of salt and a straight shot of tequila

Cause baby that's the only way that I can say I don't need ya

Well I might be dying inside

You won't see it in my eyes

I'll take it with a grain of salt and a straight shot of tequila

As the music faded, another song began, seemingly by the same artist that he didn't recognize. Abby didn't miss a beat as she went right into the next song. A slight southern accent slipping in to the match the country music.

I've got a Devil red, knock 'em dead, ass kicking mustang

I keep the tank full of gas and a seat for a sweet thing

Rockin' on ready, Rarin' to go

Up town, down town, or off the road

Dedicate myself to help with a woman's every whim

Climb a tree to rescue her kitty from a high limb

You can't taste the apple, if you don't bite

You gotta unwind 'em when they're wound too tight

Oooh, give 'em what they want when they want it

Anything their heart desires

Whatever the need roll up your sleeves

And the smoke will turn to fire

Oooh, give 'em what they want when they want it

Never leave love to fate

You gotta make your move, when she's in the mood

A pretty woman ain't gonna wait

Taking the advice of the singer, McGee chose that moment to sneak up on Abby, wrapping his arms around her and kissing the nape of her neck. "Country Abs? Really? And who is this anyway? I've never heard him."

"Yes country. Did you forget that I'm from the South McGee!" she scolded. "And his name is Jim van Fleet. Get this, he is a weatherman! Isn't that awesome? His regular job is as a local weatherman for Fox35 morning news in Florida! He's got a great voice though doesn't he? By the way, breakfast is almost ready. Go sit and I'll bring it to you in a minute."

* * *

As they ate breakfast and continued to listen to the Jim van Fleet CD, Abby rattled off all of the ideas she had come up with for them to spend the day doing. Among the list were visiting museums, a picnic, touring the monuments, going to a county fair in Virginia she had heard about, and tracking Tony and Ziva down for a double date.

"Abby, there is no way we can do all of that in one day! We probably couldn't do all of that in a month. How long have you been thinking about this?"

"Oh, just since I woke up and realized we had all day to do whatever we wanted" she replied nonchalantly.

"When did you get up?"

"Umm, around 9, I think. So pick some. What are we doing today Timmy?"

"Well, let me think for a minute. It's supposed to be a nice day, so why don't we go to the park and have a picnic. Maybe we can even go out on the lake. Then we can call Tony and Ziva for dinner."

"Can we go to the fair tonight? Pretty please!?"

"I thought you wanted to see Tony and Ziva."

"They can come too. I bet Ziva's never been to a county fair before. Just think how good she'll be at all those booth games! She'll win like a bazillion stuffed animals. That's how I got Bert you know. And it's gonna be such a pretty night. Besides there are supposed to fireworks. I _love_ fireworks!"

"Ok, we can invite them to go to the fair with us. Wait, you mentioned a double date! Are they dating?"

"Well if they're not yet, they will be soon. I can feel it in my 'Gibbs Gut'" she chirped happily. "Come on, let's goooo! We can do the dishes tonight when we get home."

So with an impatient tug on his hand, McGee stood and followed Abby out of the apartment for their 'fantabulous day out' as Abby had dubbed it.

* * *

Jenny arrived at Jethro's house by 10 that Sunday. As usual, his front door was unlocked. She shook her head at that. Some things would never change. As she walked into the house she called out and heard his response from the basement. "Well, I should have seen that coming" she thought wryly to herself as she headed towards him, taking a detour through the kitchen to grab a drink from the fridge for herself and a fresh coffee for him.

"You know, you really should lock your door. Anyone could walk right in. And with you down here, they could rob you blind and you'd never know it."

"It's my sight that's going bad, Jen, not my hearing. I know every time that door opens. Besides, I don't have much worth stealing anyway" he smirked.

"Fine" she conceded. "I brought you a fresh cup. Thought you could probably use it" she said as she handed him the mug. "So, what do you want me to do?"

"You any good at sanding?" at her nod he continued, "Good. Grab that sanding block off the bench over there. All she needs now before I can start to paint her is a good sanding."

* * *

Time flew as the two got into a rhythm sanding down the boat, occasionally talking, mostly enjoying the comfortable silence that settled in the room. Eventually, a loud growl sounded throughout the basement. The two looked at each other before laughing.

"I guess I'm hungry. Why don't you go get cleaned up while I make something for lunch and we can go out after" Jenny suggested.

"That sounds fine except that you, my dear, are a mess too."

"Thank you for that! I am very well aware of that fact. That is why I brought a change of clothes with me. I will not let you spend your entire day off in your basement" and with that she headed for the stairs and the kitchen.

Jethro just smiled after her. "She certainly is a spitfire" he thought to himself before following her upstairs and heading off to get cleaned up.

* * *

Jethro walked in just as Jen was putting the finishing touches on their meal. He walked up behind her sniffing appreciatively. "That smells good Dear, what is it?"

"Dear?" she asked with a raised eyebrow. He simply shrugged. She smiled, she wouldn't tell him, but she actually liked that he had a pet name for her, even if it was so generic. "It's a stir-fry. And before you ask yes it's healthy and yes you'll like it."

"Will I now? And what if I don't?"

"That is not an option" she smirked as she threw a glare at him. He noticed, however, that the glare lacked a certain fire to it.

The two sat down next to each other at his dinner table. "Have the kids worked out their stuff yet? Or is it still causing problems?" Jenny ventured, knowing that it was potentially dangerous ground given her part in the mess.

"Well, David and DiNozzo are getting back to normal. They must have dealt with it Friday night because they were back to flirting and joking Saturday morning. Things still didn't seem any better between the boys last night though. They better work it out soon, or I'll work it out for them."

"You can't do that Jethro and you know it. It's not a disagreement or something petty that can be fixed with a head slap. You're just gonna have to give them time, as much as you hate that. If you think it will help, I can have a talk with them. Sometimes it takes a mother's touch."

"They're big boys, they can work it out themselves. I told them all Friday that they had better fix it by Monday." After a long pause in which both considered the situation their children found themselves in, Jethro decided to change the topic. "So, where are you dragging me out to today?"

"Just out. We'll make it up as we go." At his dubious look she gave her most charming smile and promised, "Come on. It'll be fun to be spontaneous and care free for an afternoon." When that didn't work she changed tactics once again. Donning her most seductive smile, she lowered her voice to a husky whisper and promised, "I'll make it worth your while tonight."

That did the trick. "Fine, just go get cleaned up" was the gruff reply.

As she disappeared down the hallway towards his bedroom with her bag she called back "And you better stay away from that damn boat while I'm getting ready."

* * *

The smell of bacon and eggs roused Tony from a deep sleep. At least he thought he was awake. He couldn't figure out who was making him breakfast though. He had gotten home from the office late and alone last night and no one had a key to his apartment, except for Gibbs and Gibbs wouldn't make him breakfast. Yawning he got out of bed and threw on a pair of jeans. He considered grabbing his gun, but figured if the person posed any threat they would not be making food in his kitchen. With a fleeting look at the mirror, he ventured out of his room. As he approached the door to the kitchen he saw the culprit. He would now that behind anywhere. Ziva was in his kitchen making his breakfast! He only contemplated how she got in in the first place for a second before he figured she had picked the lock.

"Good morning, good morning. It's great to stay up late. Good morning, good morning, to you." Tony sang as he entered the room.

Ziva was almost startled when she heard Tony start to sing behind her. She hid the momentary shock however, and a large smile crept over her face. "Morning, Tony? 11 am is not morning my little hairy butt. And I know that song. It is from a move, yes? Ringing in the Rain? "

"It's 'Singing' not 'ringing' but yes. You didn't have to make me breakfast, Sweetcheeks. Let alone, break into my apartment to do so. If anything I should be making you breakfast" he finished placing a chaste kiss to her lips. "So what are you making?"

"Eggs, bacon, and cinnamon rolls. I hope you are hungry."

"You're perfect. Thanks my little ninja chef."

Ziva laughed, "I am hardly a chef Tony. The eggs are scrambled, the cinnamon rolls are from a can, the most difficult thing was the bacon. Is it ok? I was not sure, I have never had bacon before."

"You've never had bacon?! How is that possible? Oh, right. Not kosher. Sorry" Tony finished with a sheepish grin before eating a piece of bacon. "Just like I thought. 'Absolutely perfect in every way'."

"I am hardly Mary Poppins, Tony" Ziva retorted before she began giggling. "But I am glad you like it."

"I'm proud of you Zi. You have correctly placed both movie references I've made this morning."

* * *

Half an hour later, he two had finished eating, had done the dishes, and were sitting on the couch for their long awaited talk. Neither of them spoke. They weren't sure where or how to start. Finally Tony broke the silence.

"I'm sorry Ziva. I know I should have handled everything differently. I hated keeping that from _everyone_, but it killed me having to keep it from _you_. I should have told you. It wasn't that I didn't trust you. I was stupid enough to believe that everything would be easier if I kept my lives completely separate. I thought if I allowed my cover life to flow into my real life, it would flow over the other way as well. It was ridiculous, I know. I wanted out so many times, but I was so far in that it wasn't an option. And to tell the truth after Gibbs left I was floundering and I was, honored I guess, that Jenny thought I was good enough for a mission like that. Most of all, I'm sorry that I made you worry about me. I never even thought anyone would take the pieces and come up with that. If I had known you thought I was sick, I would have … well, I don't know what I would have done, but I would have done something if I had known. I have more to say, but that's all I have for apologies."

Ziva sat in quiet contemplation for a while. The entire time he had been pouring out his apologies, she had kept as much eye contact as possible. Now, she was looking down at her hands. He wasn't sure if that was a good sign or not. Finally she looked up. "I forgive you, and I believe you, and … I don't know……. You said you had more to say, yes?"

"Yes. Do you want the long version or the short version?"

"Why don't we just cut to the catch?"

"Chase, Zee-vah. Cut to the chase. And fine I will." He reached across the gap between them and clasped her hands in his, looking down at their entwined hands for a moment before looking her in the eyes. "I realized something Friday night Zi. Something that has been there for a long time, but I was too blind or scared or something to admit it even to myself. When I was with Jeanne I purposely buried it in the back of - "

"This is the short version?"

"Yeah. I guess all I really have to say is that I don't know when, or how, or why, but I have fallen completely in love with you Ziva." As he finally said the words he never knew had been weighing him down, he felt a lightness settle in his chest and a huge smile broke out across his face.

Ziva felt tears well up in her eyes for the second time in three days. She was definitely getting soft. But it was a good kind of soft, wasn't it? She had loved this man for so long and had not dared to let herself think that he could possibly love her back. But she saw the truth of his confession in his eyes. He was sincere.

"Ziva?" He sounded worried, and unsure of himself. How long had she been silent? How much time had passed?

"Oh, Tony! I love you too!" she cried just before she closed the distance between them and her lips collided with his.

* * *

The two contemplated what to do with the rest of their day, but they were too comfortable even think about going out for some trivial entertainment. Instead they snuggled up on the couch to spend the afternoon and possibly the evening watching romantic comedies.


	15. County Fair

**Chapter 15: County Fair**

Around 4:30 Abby started getting impatient for the fair. "McGee, it takes at least half an hour to get there and we still have to arrange it with Ziva and Tony and we need to eat dinner, unless you want to eat pretzels, funnel cake, corn dogs, and cotton candy for dinner. Come to think of it that sounds pretty good, but I don't think Ziva would eat most of it."

"Ok, so what do you want me to do Abs?"

"Call Tony while I call Ziva, and talk him into going. It won't work unless we can get them both to go. I don't want anyone feeling like the third wheel. You cannot fail McGee."

"Alright Abs, I'm calling."

At this, both pulled out their phones to call their respective friend.

* * *

Tony and Ziva were in the middle of watching Nine Months when their cell phones began to ring, almost simultaneously. "This had better not be about work!" Tony groaned as he reached for his.

"David" "DiNozzo" was heard simultaneously by Abby and McGee.

"Is that Tony?" "Did I just hear Ziva in the background?" the couple asked.

"Tony, Abby wants to know if I have plans for tonight. She says she has someone she wants to set me up with." Ziva relayed.

"Ziva, McGee wants to hang out tonight. He said something about you, but I couldn't focus on both of you at the same time. Tell Abby yes you have plans for tonight with me, I just don't know what yet." Tony replied.

"That's the point Tony, Abby and I are - "

Three people grimaced as Abby's shrill shriek of happiness traveled through three different phones.

"Hey, McGoogle, why don't you and Abby put your phone on speaker and Ziva and I will do the same with mine. It makes more sense and is less confusing." Turning to Ziva he grabbed her phone and spoke into it, "Abby, Ziva's hanging up now and so are you. McGee and I are gonna do speaker phone" before promptly switching his phone over and hanging up Ziva's.

"Ok, so what is down?" Ziva asked.

"You mean 'what's up' or 'what's going down'" Tony corrected absentmindedly.

"Whatever. What is going on?"

"Ok, so there is this county fair just into Virginia and McGee and I are going and we thought we could make it like a double date with all four of us. Maybe we could meet for dinner somewhere first, then head over for the fair and stay for the fireworks!"

"That sounds like fun Abs. I haven't been to a fair since …" Tony trailed off in thought.

"What is a 'county fair'?" Ziva asked making sure to pronounce the term carefully.

"It's really, really, really fun!!! They have these really cool rides, not like roller coasters, but they are cool – like the scrambler or gravitron, and a Ferris wheel – and game booths where you play games to win prizes, and cotton candy and slushies, and _fireworks_! It's like amazing!" Abby explained.

"Sure, we would love to come. Where do you want to meet for dinner?"

"Well, where are you two? We're at a park downtown. We should probably meet somewhere in the middle" McGee suggested.

"Well, we're at my apartment" Tony replied. "How about we meet at that pizza place we ate at three weeks ago."

"Sounds good. We'll meet you there in about ten minutes" McGee answered before disconnecting the call.

Tony turned to Ziva, "Well, are you ready for your first fair?"

"Am I dressed right?"

"You might want to put your hair up, it's pretty windy out, but other than that and making sure to grab a jacket or sweater for later tonight, yeah you look perfect."

"Well we should probably go. I am hungry." With that they grabbed phones, wallets, keys, and jackets and walked out of the apartment to meet their best friends for a night out.

* * *

When Tony and Ziva pulled into the parking lot, they noticed that McGee and Abby were already there. They walked in to find the two sitting on the bench on the side of the table facing the door. McGee had his arm wrapped around Abby's shoulders. "I guess they are back together" Ziva noted, leaning up to whisper in Tony's ear.

"Awww. You two are so cute!" Abby said as they approached the table. At the questioning glances she elaborated "You're holding hands!"

The couple merely rolled their eyes and smiled as they took their seats across from her and McGee. "So, what kind of pie are we getting tonight?"

"We could get a supreme with sausage only on half. I know you _men_ have to have everything on yours, but Ziva and I don't eat sausage." Abby spoke up with a smile.

After the order had been placed, the interrogations began. "So, how long have you two been together, again?" Ziva queried with a raised eyebrow and a knowing smirk.

"Umm, Friday night I guess. Although officially I guess Saturday morning. How about you two?" Abby returned with her own raised brow and smirk.

"Unofficially Saturday morning, officially about three hours ago." Tony summed up glancing at Ziva for confirmation.

The meal was quick and fun, with little talk of work and much talk of plans for the rest of the night and the next double date. Finally a thought donned on Ziva. "What do we do about Gibbs!?"

"Gibbs won't be a problem. He can't get mad at us for breaking rule 12 when he and the director broke it first." Tony put out there.

"I sense a bet coming on! I have $20 that says the boss man head slaps everyone but me, and gives Tony and Timmy a serious talk about what will happen if they hurt Ziva or me."

"I believe I will take that bet Abby. I think he will lecture all of us on rule 12 before telling us he had better not see it at work of he'll fire us."

"Ok, Zee-vah. 20 says he glares at all of us, threatens me and McGee and then leaves to go talk to the director about it."

"So, you don't expect any head slaps Tony?"

"No McGee, not unless he plans to slap himself too."

"Fine, possible head slaps and a general warning to all four of us while trying to hide his smirk."

* * *

When the four reached the fair, there was just about half an hour of light left. They decided to walk around and make a plan of attack first while they could still see everything clearly. Both couples walked with entwined hands laughing over the futile attempts of teenage boys to win the rigged games.

"Would you like me to win a stuffed animal for you Zee-vah?" Tony asked cheekily.

Her reply was giving him a challenging glare.

"Come on Ziva, you can beat him! I know you can." Abby encouraged.

"I'll even let you pick the game. What do you think Tim? Can I beat her?"

"I don't know Tony. It depends on what game she chooses."

"That one right there Tony. The one with the darts" was Ziva's decisive answer.

In the end, Tony and Ziva ended up tying, winning a large stuffed animal each. "I'm gonna run out to the car. I'm not carrying these around all night" Tony said as he took hold of both animals and pecked Ziva on the lips. "I'll meet you three by the Ferris wheel in ten minutes."

* * *

As the night progressed and night fell, both couples were having a blast just acting like teenagers again. As night fell and the lights from the rides came on, they decided to go on the Ferris wheel to get a view of the entire fair grounds.

The view that greeted them as they were stopped at the top of the ride was breath taking. All of the colorful lights in the night sky against the millions of stars visible away from the city lights awed all four.

Something, or rather someone on the ground caught Ziva's ever observant eye. Turning in the seat so she could talk to Tony as well as the couple in the car behind her Ziva asked an unexpected question. "Umm, guys … did we ever actually come up with a plan to tell Gibbs about" with this she trailed off gesturing at each couple.

A chorus of 'no' and 'why' provided the answer. Ziva couldn't speak, she just laid her head heavily on Tony's shoulder and pointed. Three pairs of curious eyes began scanning the crowd in the general area she was pointing to. One by one they were able to pick out the forms of Gibbs and Jenny below. Before anyone could come up with a plan, the ride started up again and they began the plunge back to earth.

* * *

**1 hour previous**

Jenny was impressed. She had managed to drag Jethro to the mall with limited complaints. Granted, he had been married four times before and had long since learned when it was best to just go along with the shopping. He didn't have to suffer for long though. As a reward for his cooperative behavior, Jenny decided that grabbing a coffee and strolling around the monuments would be fun.

While they were walking about they heard about the fireworks show at the fair and she was determined to go. Gibbs gave in easily enough. When they pulled into the field serving as a parking lot, Jenny noticed Tony and McGee's cars. "Jethro, we should try to find the kids. I just saw the boys' cars."

Gibbs glanced at his watch and deciding that they still had a little over half an hour before the show was set to start, he agreed. So the two began a search of the fair grounds. The food and ticket booths were situated mostly near the Ferris wheel so they made their way there and attempted to spot them in the crowd.

"Maybe they already headed over to get a good spot for the fireworks" Jenny suggested.

Gibbs simply pulled out his phone and dialed Tony. He would find them soon enough. One of his rules was to never be unreachable.

* * *

As the four younger agents disembarked from the ride, Tony's phone began to ring. "Give you three guesses who that is and the first two don't count" he quipped as he fished the phone from his pocket. "DiNozzo."

"Hey DiNozzo, where are you? Is McGee with you? Jenny's looking for you."

"Just Jenny, Boss?"

"Just answer the question DiNozzo."

"Right behind you Boss, hey Jenny" was the reply.

Gibbs turned around to be faced with his four children, paired up and holding hands. "Oh well. I knew this was gonna happen eventually, but all of them at the same time?" he thought to himself. Out loud he simply said, "I better not see any of this in the office, it had better not interfere with your work, and you had better not hurt each other or you will have to deal with me!"

Ziva, Tony, and Abby sighing while digging for their wallets and McGee's small smile did not go unnoticed by either Gibbs or Jenny. But she chose to ignore it. "The fireworks start soon. We should go get a spot now. It's a good thing I brought a large blanket" she announced.

As each of the agents passed Gibbs he head slapped them. At the questioning glances he merely shrugged and said, "You break the rules, you pay the price." They all laughed as they walked over to an empty patch of grass, spread out the blanket, and sat down.

Gibbs and Jenny in the middle flanked on either side by their children. Each of the couples cuddling up some for warmth as well as comfort. It was times like these Jenny wished she had a camera. This was a perfect family moment. They were all together, safe, healthy, happy, and _relaxed_. She hadn't realized she had voice her regrets over not having a camera until Abby spoke up.

"I have a camera Jenny. If we can find someone to take the picture for us" she offered.

"I can take a picture for you if you want" a woman sitting nearby offered.

"Great! Now everyone _has_ to smile. I intend to frame this, so no funny business Tony!" Abby warned as she handed her camera over to the woman.

The woman took three pictures. The first went unnoticed by everyone as they were preparing for Abby's perfect picture. It was a great candid that really showed the love all six people had for each other and managed to reveal their individual personalities just a bit. The second was nice as well. They were all smiling at the camera. The third was the best by far though. Just as the woman was about to hand the camera back over, the first fireworks shot into the sky. She managed to capture the looks on their faces just as the first set burst in the sky, bathing their awed, heavenward faces in a wash of reds and blues. The woman smiled at the lovely family and returned the camera, going back to her friends to watch the rest of the show.


	16. Who Wants Pie?

_Author's Note: ok, so this chapter and the next kind of suck, but i got a major case of writer's block and figured the best way to get over it was just to write through it. i think i may have gotten back on track for chapter 18, maybe. thanks for putting up with me. lol._

**Chapter 16: Who Wants Pie?**

After the fireworks show had ended and the smoke had cleared from the sky, the six were still sitting on the blanket in a comfortable silence.

"So, who wants pie?" Abby broke the silence looking around expectantly.

"Pie?"

"Yes, pie Tony. You know crust topped with fruit of some sort and then baked. Pie! I want pie and I know this great diner that has the _best_ apple pie in the world. So I repeat, who wants pie?"

"You do apparently, which means I do I guess" McGee answered. At the laughter around him he started to blush. "What? What's so funny?"

"You are Probie. You are so whipped already."

"Leave him alone Tony. I think pie sounds good Abs. That means you can count Tony and me in" Ziva said with a smirk.

"And who said I was in? Just because you - " Tony started but was cut off by a head slap from Gibbs.

"You may as well learn this now DiNozzo. Don't question unimportant decisions like whether or not you're going to eat pie with your friends. Pick your battles very carefully, although you will almost always lose anyway."

"Thanks Boss. Sorry Ziva, now that I think of it, pie sounds great."

"He's a much faster learner than you Jethro. How many marriages did it take you to figure that out?" Jenny asked before laughing lightly.

"Just the first. So what do you say Jen, do we want the world's best apple pie?"

"Absolutely" she answered. Turning to Abby she continued, "Lead the way my dear. I can't wait for this fantastic pie."

With that the couples began standing and gathering their things to leave. "I think we should invite the Duck-man for pie!" Abby suddenly declared.

"Since you're the only one who knows where we're going, I'd say the honor falls to you Abs." Tony said as he and Ziva began walking to the car.

* * *

Soon enough, a large round table in the corner of the Royal Diner was filed with the NCIS family.

"I'm so glad you could come Ducky!" Abby exclaimed as he walked in the door and she threw herself at him in a huge Abby hug.

"I thank you for the invitation Abigail. I would appreciate it more if I could breathe properly though" replied the Scotsman.

"Sorry Ducky."

"So what is the occasion? Has something happened that we need to celebrate?" Ducky asked taking in the way they were all paired off around the table.

"No, we were just at the fair and Abby decided she wanted pie" Ziva explained, "and none of us could say no to Abby."

"What fair did you all attend? I imagine you enjoyed yourselves immensely."

"Well the four of us," McGee began gesturing to the two younger couples, "went to hang out and we ran into Gibbs and Jenny just before the fireworks, so we watched the show together."

Shortly a waitress appeared and took their orders. As the seven friends enjoyed the coffee and pie, they chatted amicably about many things and Ducky told a couple stories of his days in college. Two hours later, they began to realize the time and make to leave. It was already midnight and they all had to be at work the next morning.

In the parking lot they went their separate ways towards their cars and before long, they had all left scattering in different directions to go home.

* * *

When Abby and McGee made their way through the apartment, they noticed the dishes from that morning still cluttering up the sink. Stifling a yawn, Abby made to attend to them but was stopped by a gentle hand on her arm. "Leave it for now Abs. We can deal with it later. Let's just go to bed."

She complied easily walking with him to his bedroom before quickly changing into her pjs and crawling into bed. McGee chuckled as he walked out of the bathroom after brushing his teeth. Abby was already out cold. Turning out the light and making sure the alarm was set, the last thing he needed was to be late the day after Gibbs found out he was dating Abby, he climbed into bed next to his sleeping beauty. As he got comfortable, she snuggled up to him and he slipped into dreamland.

* * *

"Sweetcheeks, why don't you just stay here tonight. It's too late for you to drive home now. Besides I can see you are exhausted. You probably got up on time for your 5 am run didn't you?" he asked with a mocking smile.

"So what if I did? We can't all sleep _all day_ on our days off" she taunted back as she walked down the hall towards his bedroom.

"I guess this means you're staying?" Tony called trailing after her. By the time he reached the room she was already in his bed.

"What do you think?"

Tony answered by stripping down to his boxers and jumping onto the bed next to her, tossing her a couple of inches into the air. When she landed, she was partially sprawled across him. "All you had to do was ask Zee-vah. You didn't need to throw yourself at me" Tony teased.

"Watch it DiNozzo or you will be sleeping in the couch tonight."

"But it's my bed!" he protested.

"Yes, and I am the one who can kill eighteen ways with a paperclip" she returned.

"Fine you win, I'll behave" Tony pretended to pout. She would never admit it, but he looked so adorable when he looked at her like that. "Good night my little ninja, I love you."

"I love you, too, my little hairy butt. Laila tov" Ziva responded drowsily as she snuggled into his body, molding herself to him before drifting off to sleep.

Tony took a moment to marvel at how far they had come in just a weekend. He also briefly thought about how lucky he was both, to have a woman like Ziva and for Gibbs having broken rule 12 first. All in all it had been a great day. He and Ziva had admitted their feelings, they had gone on a date with the Probie and Abby, Gibbs had found out and not killed him, and he had spent the evening with his family. No, not a bad day at all. With that thought, he too drifted off to sleep, pulling Ziva a little closer.

* * *

"I told you that it would be fun Jethro. And I am very proud of the way you handled yourself tonight."

"What are you talking about?

"The way you dealt with the situations between McGee and Abby, Tony and Ziva. I was very impressed."

"Please do not remind me Jen. It's easier if I just don't think about it."

"But you knew it was going to happen eventually" Jenny pointed out rationally as they walked in his front door.

"That doesn't mean I need to think about them dating. And I'm telling you right now, they had better keep it out of the office."

"Let's go to bed Jethro. You can worry about this later. I'm tired."

"You had this all planned didn't you Jenny?"

"Maybe, but you will never know" she laughed running down the hall as he began to chase her.

Once in the bedroom, he caught her up in his arms and gently kissed the top of her head. When he set her down on the ground again, she turned in his embrace and returned the kiss.

"I'm gonna go get changed. Be out in a minute" Jenny said walking towards the bathroom. By the time she returned, he was already in bed. She crawled in next to him and he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer to him. She was amazed at how right this felt and how it seemed to defy the passage of time. Lying in his arms, she could almost pretend the last decade hadn't happened and they were still in Paris. Sighing, she closed her eyes and fell asleep, Gibbs following quickly behind her.

* * *

"Well it was about time. I thought they would never wake up and notice that they were meant to be. Jethro and Jenny knew, I know they did, but they were too afraid it would end again like so many years ago. Such a shame really. Those two could have had a family of their own if they had realized what they had back then. I guess they do though, in a way don't they. They still ended up with four children. I was surprised about young Timothy and Abigail. I could see that they make a lovely couple, but there were no outward signs that either of them saw it. Anthony and Ziva on the other hand. Good Lord! Those two have been playing around it for years! I am surprised it has taken them this long. Everyone could see the attraction between them at the beginning and then how close they have become. I had almost given up hope that they would get their acts together without serious intervention" Ducky thought over what he had observed on his drive home. Really he could not be happier, as evidenced by the smile on his face. His family had finally gotten their acts together. Sometimes he really did feel the urge to head slap his nieces and nephews, but he would leave that for Jethro. At the moment though, all was right in his world. He just hoped it would stay that way.


	17. Monday Mornings

**Chapter 17: Monday Mornings**

Jenny groaned as the alarm blared. She was almost tempted to stay in bed that extra half hour and simply skip her meeting with the SecNav, but she couldn't. She attempted to get out of bed not even opening her eyes, so she was surprised when she was restrained by an arm. As she was tugged back to bed, her eyes flew open. Looking down, she smiled, "Jethro I need to get up. I have a meeting with SecNav this morning."

"Fine. Just didn't want you trying to sneak off on me" Jethro consented in a voice thick with sleep.

"I couldn't sneak off if I wanted to" she said with a breathy laugh. "You know where I work and where I live. Now let me go so I can get in the shower."

After pulling her closer for a brief kiss, he relinquished his hold on her and let her go looking at the clock. "0400h, who gets up _this_ early? I don't even get up for an hour, usually" Gibbs thought to himself.

By the time Jenny had finished getting ready for the day, Jethro was once again sound asleep. Making sure his alarm was set for him, she dropped a kiss on his exposed cheek and walked to the kitchen to retrieve a cup of coffee from the pot she had started earlier. Letting herself out of the house she smiled at the naturalness of the whole morning. There was nothing awkward in her waking in his arms to leave for work and making full use of his house to get ready for the morning.

* * *

Despite the late night, Ziva's internal alarm woke her promptly at 0430h. She lay in bed for a moment of two taking in Tony's presence around her. It was more than just his arms still holding her tightly to him or his chest beneath her head once again. She could detect his presence in the smell of the room and it's décor, if you could call it that. She sighed and attempted to escape the confines of Tony's arms without waking him. She needed to go on a run, especially after the pie and ice cream last night, and she had nothing here to change into for work.

Finally she managed to escape with only a few mumbled words from her boyfriend, words she couldn't clearly decipher but with sounded suspiciously like Italian. "Interesting" she thought, "Tony sleep talks in Italian. I wonder if he is aware of this?" she smirked. If not it would be fun material to use to tease him at work today, when Gibbs wasn't around of course.

Looking around, Ziva finally managed to find a pen and some paper to leave a note. That done, she quietly made her way out of the apartment to her own.

* * *

The alarm went off at 0500h waking Gibbs. There was an emptiness about the room that took him a moment to place. Jenny had left already. He took a moment to ponder over the fact that it already felt empty when she was not there. Before he could dwell on it too long, the smell of coffee wafted into the room. He smiled, Jenny had made coffee. Getting out of bed he made his way to the kitchen glancing at a hall mirror on the way. By the lip mark on his cheek, it would appear that she had left more than coffee he smiled.

Once he had enjoyed his first cup of the beloved coffee while reading the paper in the kitchen he decided he had wasted enough time and went to get himself ready to face the day. They still had a few loose ends to tie up on the previous case and there would probably be a new case before long.

* * *

An annoying beeping sound broke the quietude of the room followed by a muffled curse and a feminine groan as both attempted to silence the offending alarm. Finally McGee managed to find the off button.

"Good morning love. Time to get up Abs."

"Kiss?" she requested popping one eye open. Grinning he complied with a sweet kiss. "Ok, now I can get up! I love you, you know, Timmy" Abby said switching seamlessly between chipper and deathly serious.

"Yeah, I know, and I love you too" McGee answered equally serious. "Now, do you want the first or second shower?" His answer was the blur of black pjs and hair that flew through the bathroom door. Laughing lightly, he went to start a pot of coffee.

Half an hour later, the Goth beauty her computer geek boyfriend were ready and heading out the door. As they settled into the car she voiced one of the many, though decidedly less than post caf-pow, random thoughts flying though her head. "Timmy! We still haven't done the dishes."

"It's ok Abs. They're not going anywhere. We'll do them later" McGee soothed as he steered the car towards the navy yard.

* * *

When Tony woke he immediately hit the snooze button before reaching across the bed in search of Ziva. To his surprise, she wasn't there and her side of the bed as cold. All tiredness gone now that he feared she had changed her mind about them. Those fears subsided as he noticed the folded piece of paper on her pillow. He reached for it, whipping the sleep from his eyes.

_My Little Hairy Butt,_

_I am sorry that I left without saying goodbye this morning, but you looked so cute and comfortable I did not want to wake you. I would have come back after my morning run, but I did not have any clothes to change into._

_I will see you at work. I love you._

_Sweetcheeks_

He laughed a little at her signing the note with his pet name for her. She really was something. He wondered when she had left. Before he could waste too much time on the thought, his alarm was blaring again. Figuring he may as well get up, he trudged off to the bathroom to get a much needed shower.

* * *

Tony walked into the squad room a full two minutes early. He noticed that the Probie had been there and already powered on his computer, but he was nowhere in sight. Probably with Abby, Tony thought with a smirk. Tossing his backpack into the corner behind his desk, he turned his attention to his Israeli beauty. Taking a quick look around to check for Gibbs he stole a quick kiss.

Pulling back he gave her one of his stunning smiles. "I missed you this morning."

"You got my note though, yes?"

"Yeah I got it, _Sweetcheeks._ So how was your run?"

"It was fine, thank you. How was your sleep-in?"

"Not nearly as comfortable after you left." He grimaced as he felt a hand connect with the back of his head.

"I thought I told you to keep it out of the office, DiNozzo."

"Sorry Boss" he said walking over to his desk and sitting down.

* * *

A couple of hours later, all of the paperwork for their weekend's case was finished except for Maddie's statement and the team was looking over a cold case. Tony and Ziva kept steeling longing looks at each other and throwing flirtatious taunts and challenges back and forth. McGee would disappear regularly for ten minutes at a time, presumably to visit Abby in her lab and keep her from getting too bored. And as usual, Gibbs popped in and out of the squad room from coffee runs and visits to the director.

"I guess I had nothing to worry about, Jen. Things are the same as they have always been" Gibbs mused on one of these visits.

"I could have told you that, Jethro, if you had bothered to ask. Your team is the best in the agency. You know that. And they were trained by the best. They're professionals, no matter how little they let on about it. They have managed to keep their feelings out of the office for years now, I don't know why you thought them admitting those feelings outside of the office would change that."

Gibbs simply responded with a smirk and classic glare.

* * *

Around eleven that morning, Ziva got a call from Harm. "Oh, hello Harm. How is Maddie doing?"

"She's ok, considering. When does she need to come in to give her statement?"

"The sooner the better, for us and for her. We do not have a case right now, so we should be here if you want to stop by soon."

"We will probably be there a little after noon."

"Great, we will see you then." Hanging up she turned her attention to the room, "That was Harm, he said that he would be bringing Maddie around noon to give her statement."


	18. Maddie's Statement

**Chapter 18: Maddie's Statement**

At 1230h, Ziva got a call from the guards downstairs to inform her that "Commander Rabb and his daughter" were there to see her. Hanging up, she announced to the room at large, "Harm and Maddie are on their way up." Then turning to her boss she asked, "Who is going to take Maddie's statement Gibbs?"

Without looking up from the papers on his desk he answered, "Who do ya think David?"

"Right Boss."

As the conversation wrapped up, the elevator dinged delivering Harm and Maddie. Ziva stood up to meet them. "Hi Harm, Maddie. We should go to the conference room for a little privacy. Right this way" she said stepping ahead of the two to lead them to the conference room Harm and Mac had waited in two days before. "Do you need anything before we start? Water maybe?"

"No, I'm fine thanks. So what do I have to do?" Maddie asked.

"All you have to do is tell me what you remember from Friday night and Saturday up until we found you."

"Ok … umm … I don't really know where to start."

"Why don't you start with when you called your dad, then you can go from there" Ziva suggested.

"Alright, well, about 8:00 Friday night, I called dad to say goodnight. Then Je … Jen and I decided that we wanted some Tai food for dinner, so we went to check out a new place she heard about. We parked near the takeout place. Before we went in though, I asked if we could rent Mad Money. We uh, we thought it would be faster to walk over to the rental place and then pick up the food on the way home, so we weren't carrying the food into the rental place. This … this is all my fault!" she broke down crying. "Daddy, it's my fault Jen's … dead."

"No, no, no, no, no baby. This wasn't your fault."

"Maddie, listen to me. They were following you. If this hadn't happened when it did, it would have happened eventually. This is _not_ your fault. Those two men did this. They are the only ones responsible" Ziva told her. She wasn't sure why, exactly, but it was very important for her to make sure Maddie understood that. "We can take a break now if you want. Let you get it out before we start back up. I will be at my desk, you can have your dad come get me when you are ready to continue" Ziva said standing up. Before leaving, she poured Maddie a glass of water.

* * *

"You done already David?" Gibbs questioned with a raised brow when she returned to the squad room.

"No, Maddie needed a couple of minutes" was the prompt reply as she sat at her desk.

Gibbs simply nodded and headed up the stairs to MTAC, and the director.

Tony, however saw the masked despair in her eyes. "Probie, why don't you go help Abby for a while" he more ordered than suggested.

McGee looked up startled at the tone. Taking in the masked concern on Tony's face and the way he was watching Ziva, he decided not to question it. Instead he walked quietly to the back elevator to visit his girlfriend.

"Ziva?" Tony questioned walking towards her. "Zee, what's wrong?"

Looking up quickly, she gave him a look that clearly said she didn't want to talk about it there. So, Tony offered her his hand. After she took it, he led her to the elevator so they could talk in private. Once the doors slid closed and the elevator started moving, Tony flipped the emergency switch turning to face his partner. "Zee. Tell me what's wrong."

He was momentarily shocked as she stepped up to him and wrapped her arms around him. He recovered quickly and returned the embrace, holding her to him securely. "We cannot take long; I told Maddie that I would be ready when she was."

"So what is wrong?"

"She thinks it is her fault. She blames herself for what happened because it was her idea to rent a movie" she said in a voice barely louder than a whisper.

In response he just held her tighter, murmuring comforting words in Italian in her hair.

After about a minute, she pulled herself together. "I should probably get back out there" she said running a hand under her eyes.

"Are you sure you're ok? If you want, I can take over for you" Tony offered.

She smiled and leaned up to kiss him briefly. "Yes I am sure. And it will be easier for Maddie to tell to someone she already knows. I can finish."

"Well, you know where to find me if you need another hug" he smiled back at her as they exited the elevator and walked back to their desks.

As she was retaking her seat, feeling amazingly better from her brief exchange with Tony, Harm appeared. "Is she ready now Harm?"

"As ready as she'll ever be, I guess" Harm responded.

* * *

"Alright Maddie, are you ready to continue?"

"Yes. So I left off where?"

"You were just telling me how you and Jen decided to walk to the rental store."

"Right. Well, the rental place was on the other side of the park from where we were, so we decided to cut through there instead of walking all the way around."

"What time was this Maddie?" Ziva interrupted.

"I'm not sure. Sometime between 10:30 and 11:00. Anyway, after we started to go through the park, we noticed that there were two guys following us. At first we thought they just wanted to mug us, so we walked a little faster. Then one of them called my name. I turned around, because I thought maybe I knew them, but I didn't recognize them, so we started running. But one, the taller one, caught up to us and grabbed Jen. He had a – a knife. When Jen saw it, she told me to run. We were closer to where we came from than the other side of the park, so I took off, but the shorter one followed me. The next thing I knew, he had grabbed me and threw me into a van. I tried to yell for help but one of them hit me with something." She stopped there for a moment to collect herself and take a couple drinks of water. "The next thing I remember I was in a small, dark, cold room. I didn't have a clue where I was. I don't know how long I was there, but I got really hungry and thirsty and my head hurt really badly. I must have fallen asleep, because the next thing I remember, you were there and that man was carrying me out of the room."

"Thank you Maddie. I know that was not easy."

"So can I go now?"

"Not quite. I still need to type up this statement and have you sign it. It should not take me long. How about I show you to the break room while you are waiting, you can get a candy bar or something" she offered with a small smile. When she received a small nod from Maddie she started leading the way.

* * *

Within half an hour, the statement had been typed up, read over, and signed. Ziva sighed as she dropped the finalized document on Gibbs's desk. "That is all of the paperwork for this case, yes?"

"Yes Officer David it is. One more case closed."


	19. Musings, 'Date Night', and Pictures

**Chapter 19: Musings, 'Date Night', and Pictures**

Gibbs stood leaning against the railing looking down on his team. McGee was attempting valiantly to ignore the taunting and paper balls flying from Tony, but there was a barely perceptible smile on his face. Ziva watched on for a moment more with an amused expression before deciding to come to his aid. Gibbs watched as she addressed Tony, obviously chastising him. When Tony responded by redirecting the next paper ball at _her_ head, she stood and stalked over to his desk, twirling his letter opener dangerously. Gibbs chuckled to himself at the look of contrition and fear on his senior agents face in the face of his Mossad assassin's threat. Not surprisingly, a smirk of triumph crossed her face as she made her way back to her desk to work again.

"I don't know what you were so worried about Jethro. From here, nothing seems to have changed" Jenny admonished as she leaned on the rail next to them.

"No, from here nothing's changed. But it has, some. Instead of threatening Tony with the letter opener she was wielding, Ziva was threatening not to come over tonight." Taking in the diligently working DiNozzo he added, "The new threats seem far more effective though. Before he just laughed her off, now he's actually working."

"So it's better than it was before!" Jen gloated a little.

As they stood there watching, Abby came bounding in and straight to McGee's desk. As soon as he heard her coming, a huge smile spread across McGee's face. Glancing around quickly, Abby leant over and placed a quick kiss to McGee's lips before sitting on the corner of his desk to talk to everyone. A rare smile graced Gibbs' face as he watched his children. They were happy, healthy, and safe for now talking about their night last night and planning the next big outing. He would let them have their break for now, he thought as he wrapped an arm around Jenny's waist pulling her to his side.

* * *

Glancing up and catching the director's eye, Ziva motioned for her and Gibbs to join the others before going back to watching Abby animatedly talk about something or other. Honestly, she really wasn't sure what exactly the hyperactive Goth was talking about. She had been far too distracted thinking about Maddie and what she was going through. She could not understand why it had affected her like it had when Maddie blamed herself. Being in America must really be making her soft. Glancing around at her family again, she saw the director and Gibbs making their way down the stairs, McGee watching Abby happily while the young woman talked and gestured, and Tony attempting to casually watch her. She could see that he was a little worried about her, and it warmed her that he could see the turmoil she found herself in. If he were anyone else, he would be unable to see the pain in her eyes, the falseness of her smile, and the slight tension in her shoulders. But he wasn't anyone else; he was her soul mate, her Tony.

* * *

Tony honestly tried to pay attention to Abby as she planned the next big 'date night', but he was worried about Ziva. Ever since she took Maddie's statement earlier that day she had been unusually quiet. He knew that it had affected her deeply. That much he would have known from her eyes, even if she hadn't broken down in the elevator. But what truly surprised him was the confusion in her eyes. It had been there almost as long as the pain. So, he kept stealing glances at his girlfriend as they both pretended to follow the conversation. Fortunately with Abby, outside participation was not really needed which left both Tony and Ziva to let their minds wander. He couldn't wait until he could take Ziva home and talk about what was bothering her. He thought she had looked a little better after their talk in the elevator and hoped that she would open up when he got her alone away from work because he hated seeing her like this. His thoughts were cut off though as Abby squealed mid sentence and threw herself at Jenny and Gibbs.

* * *

McGee was content to listen to Abby babble. She had obviously had a few too many Caf-pows and not enough to do because when she had arrived in the squad room, the first thing she had done, after kissing him of course, was to complain about being bored. Then she had launched into a rant about how much fun the fair had been and how much they all should have another 'date night'. Glancing at his watch he realized she had been uninaminously making plans for every weekend for the next two months for the past fifteen minutes. Tony and Ziva didn't seem to be paying much attention anyway. Ziva was clearly trying to hide her distraction and Tony kept sending her concerned looks when he thought no one was looking. Before he could analyze what was wrong however, Abby had jumped off his desk and thrown herself at the newest arrivals to the group.

* * *

Abby was bored out of her mind in her lab by herself. Really, she didn't have anything to do besides think about the fair last night and plan the best way to spend the next weekend. Finally she couldn't take it anymore, she had to have company and share her ideas about 'date night' with the others. That thought firmly in mind, she finished off the last bit of Caf-pow and headed to the squad room. When the elevator let her out, she went straight to McGee's desk. "Hi Timmy!" she said as she looked around for Gibbs. Not seeing him, she stooped down quickly for a kiss before settling herself on the corner of his desk.

"Tony, Ziva, I have to talk to you about something _really_ important. Last night was super duper fun at the fair and the pie and just all of us hanging out …" she knew that they weren't really paying attention to most of what she said, but they were humoring her and at the moment that was enough. It looked and sounded less crazy to be talking at actual people than it did to talk to her machines downstairs so she continued as if they were actually interested. Every once in a while Timmy would add a thought, so at least she knew _he_ was listening. "… And next month there is this concert, now I know what you're thinking, but you would like it I promise. It's a new group I heard about. Anyways, they are playing around the corner from this really great club I know and we could just make a night of clubbing. Or, in like two weeks, it's Friday the 13th and there is going to be a scary movie marathon at this cemetery. I know it sounds kinds weird, but really it's – Gibbs!" she broke off throwing herself at the older man.

He smiled and returned the hug briefly. Just as suddenly as she had appeared she was out of his arms and wrapping Jenny in a huge hug. "Abs, it hasn't been that long since you've seen us. I think you can let go. It's probably best if she can breathe" Gibbs commented dryly.

"Sorry. Hey maybe you would want to come. The four of us are planning a date night type of thing." After a look from Tim she corrected, "Well, I was planning a date night for all of us and it would be fun if you came too. Last night was _soooo_ much fun with the fireworks and pictures and - oh my God, the pictures. I haven't even looked at them yet." With that she raced towards the elevator.

"Where is Abby going?" Ziva asked having been brought to the present with her last outburst.

"To get her camera, I think. She said something about pictures" Tony answered with a brilliant smile.

Moments later, Abby was back among them, clutching her camera. When she reached the group, she shoved it at Tim with a "Timmy, put the firework pictures on the plasma."

McGee simply smiled and took the outstretched camera, removing the memory card and placing it in his computer. He then selected the pictures he wanted and switched them over to the plasma so they could all see.

The first picture that appeared caused amused smiles to break out over everyone's face. Gibbs was smirking at something Abby had just said to McGee while adjusting his shirt while McGee sat with an irritated look on his face. On the other side of the blanket, Tony was sticking his tongue out at Ziva while she smacked him for something with Jenny, wrapped comfortably in Jethro's arms, looking on in amusement at the two.

The next picture was immediately proclaimed frame worthy by Abby. Each of the women were sitting leaning against their respective man, the men wrapping their arms around their girl, all smiling big happy smiles at the camera.

Thinking those were the only two, McGee almost missed the best picture. As it flashed on the screen, Ziva managed to call for him to wait just before he turned off the plasma. All six were surprised by the final picture, as none of them had been aware it was taken. It quickly became the favorite of the group.

"That is a fantastic picture. Was it taken at the fireworks show you were telling me about last night?" sounded an accented voice.

"Yeah Duck, it was. What are you doing up here?" responded Gibbs.

"I was on my way out and saw you all standing here and thought I may be missing something."

"On your way out?" questioned Tony as he looked at the clock. It was already 1830h. "I didn't realize it was so late."

"Go home, all of you" Gibbs instructed at the pleading looks sent his way by his agents and forensic scientist. Smiling, they all quickly went their separate ways to pack up and leave for the night.


	20. Just Another Night

**Chapter 20: Just Another Night**

As Tim and Abby walked into his apartment, she announced, "Ok, so here's the plan for tonight. You are going to order a pizza, then put on some jazz and work on your book. I will do the dishes then read."

"You don't really want to do the dishes Abby. Besides it's my apartment, I'll do the dishes."

"I don't mind and how long has it been since you got any real writing done?" she countered, flashing a triumphant smile as he conceded defeat.

"Fine, what do you want on your pizza?"

"_Our_ pizza, Timmy. And I don't care, whatever you want."

That being said, she made her way to the kitchen to start washing the dishes from breakfast the morning before while he called for their pizza. Soon, the smooth sound of old jazz filled the apartment punctuated by the sound of keys clacking on his typewriter. At first, the clacking of keys was sporadic, but soon enough Tim established a rhythm that complemented the music wafting through the small living space. The sound of typing mingling with jazz was oddly relaxing to Abby as she finished the dishes and made her way over to the couch with a book she had been meaning to read for a long time now. Before she got farther than a page though, the door bell rang.

"That must be the pizza. Timmy, I need your wallet" she called.

"Or, I could just go answer the door" he said with a smile as he made his way to do just that.

Soon the two were enjoying their pizza and light conversation on the couch. When the pizza was gone, he returned to his typewriter and with a sigh of contentment she settled comfortably into the corner of the couch with her feet tucked up under her and began to read. All too soon though, she was lulled to sleep by her full stomach, the smooth jazz, and the rhythmic clacking.

That was where Tim found her an hour later when he had finished writing for the night. He smiled at the sight in front of him. Abby was curled up in the corner of the couch, her book lay forgotten on her lap the page barely marked by one of her long fingers, her head drooped to her chest. Tim took the book out of her slack hands, careful to mark the page with a scrap of paper off the coffee table, before lifting his girlfriend and carrying her to bed.

* * *

Tony made his way from the car hesitantly. He wasn't sure he should have come after all she hadn't invited him. But he knew she needed him, even if she would never admit it. So, he readjusted his hold on the bags he carried and resolutely knocked on the door.

Ziva was sitting on her couch in the dark a million questions flying through her head. Why hadn't she gone to Tony's? Why did she feel so lost? Why had Maddie's guilt affected her so much? Had living in America for so long, really made her this soft, this weak? Why did she want Tony so badly right now? That was the last thought before her train of thought was broken by a knock on the door.

A wide smile broke out over her face. She didn't know how, but she knew who was on the other side of that door. The person she needed to see most in the world right now. Tony. Smile still firmly in place, she opened the door. "I knew it was you."

"How? With your secret ninja powers?" he teased, happy to see a genuine smile on her face, the first since Maddie had come in that afternoon.

"What is in the bags?" she asked ignoring his teasing.

"Dinner, ice cream, and movies!" he said as he walked into the apartment, a ridiculous smile on his face.

"Well, give me the ice cream, put the food on the table, and put in the movie."

"Anything you say my ninja" he replied as he did as he was told.

A few minutes later, she appeared from the kitchen with plates, flatware, and two glasses of wine. He was already seated comfortably on her large sofa, the Chinese food set out on the coffee table and The Sound of Music start menu on the TV.

"The Sound of Music? But you cannot stand this movie" she noted as she made herself comfortable against his strong chest, setting the plates and flatware on the table with the food and handing him his glass of wine.

Tony took a sip of wine before answering. "True, but it's your favorite and you had a bad day. I think I can stand it for you. This wine is great by the way" he concluded taking another sip. "Now, lean forward for a minute so I can get some food, I'm starving!"

He started the movie, and the next few minutes as Maria sang about the hills being alive with the sound of music, the two dished the Chinese food out onto their plates before settling back to enjoy the food, movie, and most of all, each other's presence.

As the movie played, Ziva was relieved that he hadn't pushed for her to talk about what had happened that afternoon. She didn't even know what had happened; let alone how to explain it to him. She knew that eventually they would have to talk about it, but for now she was content to enjoy the simple familiarity that sharing dinner and a movie with Tony brought.

After they had finished eating, and had set their plates back on the table, Tony and Ziva had settled back into the sofa closer, wrapped up in a blanket. To his surprise, the movie wasn't that bad with her wrapped in his arms and her head resting on his chest. By the end of the movie, both were too comfortable and too close to sleep to bother getting up, so he turned off the TV and they snuggled up on the couch for the night.

* * *

"So am I going to see you tonight Jen?" Jethro asked as they stepped out of the elevator.

Her only answer was a mischievous smile before walking away to her car. He smirked as he walked to his; he wasn't one to beg for anything. If she came, great. If not, he would be perfectly happy to work on his boat for a few hours before going to bed.

An hour later found him, as expected in his basement working on his beloved boat. "Took you long enough. I was about to give up on you and go ahead and eat by myself" Jethro said without even looking up from where he was perched beside the boat.

"I thought I smelled something great coming from the kitchen. So, what's for dinner?"

"Why don't you go see for yourself Jen? And while you're at it you can see how much time's left on the timer."

"Three minutes" she called down to him as she opened the oven door to check the baked spaghetti and garlic bread there. "I'll set the table, you go get washed up."

"I'm almost finished, be up in a minute" was the muffled reply.

She simply shook her head and went to the cabinet to retrieve plates and cups. She set the table, poured some wine, and even managed to find a candle to light before he made his way up from the basement to the sound of the oven timer going off. As he went to the sink to wash up, she pulled the dinner from the oven. Neither commented on how normal it felt or felt the need to comment at all. They simply completed their tasks working around each other like they had done it every night of their lives.

"The table looks nice Jen. Where did the candle come from?"

"I found it. Now sit down and eat."

Dinner passed quickly and when it was done she told him he could go back to his boat and she would do the dishes.

"I can do the dishes Jen. You're a guest" he protested.

"You made dinner, I'll do the dishes. It's only fair, besides I'd hardly consider myself a guest Jethro. Now, I am allowing you to go back to your boat and get out of doing the dishes. You might want to go before I change my mind."

When, an hour later, he had finished with the boat for the night, he found the kitchen spotless and Jen in bed reading as if she did this every night. He quickly got ready for bed and joined her, kissing the top of her head as he slipped between the sheets.

"Jethro, I'm reading. Give me five minutes to finish this chapter" she chastised with a seductive smile on her face.

"What if I don't want to wait five minutes?" he asked cheekily.

"Then, you can sleep in the guest room or on the couch" she replied easily without looking up from the book.

Deciding not to press his luck, he sat back against the headboard simply watching her read. He could really get used to this, sharing every aspect of his life with her. Waking up to a pot of coffee and sometimes a beautiful red head, spending his day in and out of her office and MTAC just because, coming home and sharing dinner and a bottle of wine, then ending the day by simply watching her as she read or finished up some paper work in his bed.

He was so lost in his thoughts, that he didn't even notice that she had finished reading and set her book aside. So he was startled slightly when he felt her straddle him and capture his lips in a kiss. He soon recovered though, and kissed her back enjoying the present much better than his previous thoughts of their future.


	21. Author's Note Help

**Author's Note**

Ok, so I have a question for my faithful readers, please answer by 'reviewing'. I am almost done with this story. Should I:

A) Write a couple more chapters and leave the ending where I can write a sequal in the future

B) Write a couple more chapters and end with an epilogue

C) End it now as is

D) End it now with an epilogue

I really appreciate your imput, so please let me know what you think. It's Tuesday now, so I'll wait until Friday to write anything else for this story anyways. If you want me to continue it, let me know by then. In the mean time, I think I'll work on some oneshot ideas I have.

Thanks,

Amanda


	22. Tuesday Morning Fantasies

**Chapter 21: Tuesday Morning Fantasies **

Jethro awoke once again by his internal alarm before the blaring of the actual device, just like every other morning. This morning, however, he was pleasantly surprised by the image of Jenny Shepherd sleeping peacefully next to him. Reaching over and shutting off the alarm before it could disturb her, he took the few extra minutes to admire her. His eyes travelled up the beautifully smooth expanse of her back to the fire-y halo of red hair on the pillow. What little light actually made it through the cracks of his curtains played over her peaceful face highlighting the gentle smile playing at her lips even as she slept.

"You don't have to stare. I'm not going anywhere Jethro" she admonished without so much as opening her eyes. After those few minutes of quiet observation, he was startled to hear her voice.

In response he leaned down and placed a kiss to her temple before whispering, "You never know, this could all just be a dream."

"No it couldn't," she replied matter of factly as she propped her head up on her fist, "because if this were a dream, there would be a tray of coffee and hot pastries somewhere close." They shared a laugh before she asked the time. She groaned as he told her that it was 0515h. "Time to get up then. I need a shower" she announced as she headed towards his bathroom.

"You wanna share?" Gibbs asked with a smirk.

"Can you behave?" she answered with her own smirk as her head appeared around the door. Seconds later he heard the water start and decided that he would join her.

* * *

Twenty minutes later the two stepped out of the shower and into fluffy white towels. Quickly drying off and throwing on a pair of boxers and a white t-shirt, Gibbs went to the kitchen to start a pot of coffee, leaving Jenny the bathroom to finish getting ready for the day.

By the time that he returned with two hot mugs of coffee, Jenny had already dressed, styled her hair and applied make-up. All that was left was to put on the day's jewelry and shoes, so she took a seat on the bed and watched as Gibbs finished dressing and went through his morning routine.

Sitting there watching him shave a series of pictures flashed through her head. Unlike most times, though, these were not memories from Paris. Instead, she saw herself twenty years in the future, with more grey hair than red watching Jethro, slightly more wrinkled, slightly greyer himself, sipping coffee and getting ready for the day. Nothing special, nothing important, just another ordinary day started off and shared by two people deeply in love still after all those years.

"You need help with that Jen?" Gibbs asked when he stepped back into the room to see her holding the two ends of her necklace in her lap.

"What?" Jenny started out of her little dream and back into the present. "Sorry, I was just thinking."

"About?"

"Us" she replied simply. "Would you give me a hand with this?" she asked holding out the necklace. He just smirked and accepted it motioning for her to turn around before fastening it securely around her neck. "What are you smirking about?"

"Nothing. I just asked you twenty seconds ago if you needed help with that."

"Oh, well thank you."

"So," he continued as he walked from the room coffee still in hand, "what were you thinking about 'us'?"

"It's ridiculous really. Just a dream of sorts." She responded following him from the room grabbing a jacket and her purse on the way.

"Are you going to tell me about it?" he pressed.

"I would but I don't want to be late. See you at work, maybe I'll tell you about it later" she teased stretching up on her toes to give him a kiss before she walked outside to her car.

"Women" he muttered shaking his head as he walked to the kitchen for another cup of coffee before leaving for work himself.

* * *

Gibbs walked into the squad room and noticed that none of his team had managed to make it in before him today. He figured he'd give them another 20 minutes before they had to have a serious talk about rule 12. After all, they weren't technically late yet. Deciding that he had some time, he headed out to get coffee for himself and Jen. You could never have too much coffee.

Ten minutes later, he headed up to MTAC two coffees in hand. As he climbed the stairs, he noted that at least McGee had managed to get to work on time. "And I was hoping Ziver would be a _good_ influence on DiNozzo, not him a _bad_ one on her" he thought as he scanned his iris to access the secured room.

Noting that Jen was talking to the SecNav on the main screen, Gibbs stood back to let her finish her conversation before making his presence known. "I thought you just talked to him yesterday morning" Gibbs commented walking up to where she had sat down.

"I am the director of a federal agency Jethro. One that focuses on the _navy and marines_, so it is not unreasonable for me to have to talk to the Secretary of the _Navy_ more than once in a week."

"I was just making an observation Jen," he retorted handing her one of the coffees as he took the seat next to her.

"Thank you, I could really use some more caffeine this morning." She smiled as she took a long drag of the brown liquid. "So what are you doing up here? Don't you have some work you should be doing?"

"I don't know Director, do I?" he asked with a sly smirk on his face.

She simply smiled in return, though there was a certain edge behind her eyes as she did. "Oh, well" she thought, "he can simply pay for that snide attitude tonight."

Looking at his watch, Gibbs made to leave. At her questioning gaze, he answered, "I gave Ziva and Tony until one minute from now to be at their desks before I have a serious conversation with them. McGee was already ten minutes late this morning, and when I came up here, they weren't here yet."

"Were they late by official standards, or by you own?" she asked with a knowing smile.

"As far as my people are concerned, my standards _are_ the _official_ standards. That's why they're the best." With that final declaration, he strode out of the room to check on 'his people'.

Glancing at the squad room on his way down the stairs he noted that both Tony and Ziva were in fact at their desks and at least seemed to be working on something. "Nice of you to show up DiNozzo and David" he chastised making his way to his desk. As he sat his phone rang. "Yeah Gibbs … alright." Looking around at his team he distributed commands. "McGee, call Ducky; tell him we got a body at Quantico. DiNozzo, gas up the truck, meet me in the garage in five" he finished tossing the keys to his senior field agent as he headed once again up the stairs to MTAC to inform Jenny that he would probably be out most of the afternoon.

The three quickly grabbed their gear heading off to their designated tasks with a chorus of "Yes Boss" "On it Boss".


	23. A Morning with Abby and McGee

**Chapter 22: A Morning with Abby and McGee**

The alarm sounded and two groans sounded in the room. Two arms reached blindly for the off switch and inadvertently created more hassle for each other. "I'll get it Abby, just stop waving your arm around before you hurt someone" McGee commanded as he managed to successfully end the annoying sounds coming from his alarm. Looking down at the half asleep Goth he smiled. "Good morning beautiful" he said dropping a kiss onto her pouting lips.

"It's too early Timmy. Let me go back to sleep" she pleaded.

"Sorry. No can do, Abs. If we want to be at work on time we need to get up now. It takes longer for both of us to get ready together" he reasoned with a slight hint of amusement in his voice at her childish antics. Even as he was trying to reason with her, Abby had managed to put his pillow over her head and pull the covers over herself, pillow included. "Abby! Come on, babe, it's time to get up" with that he forcefully removed both the blankets and pillow from her grasp.

"Fine" she whined, "but I need caffeine and lots of it Timmy. Oh, and first shower."

"You jump in the shower and by the time you're out there will be a big mug of coffee with your name on it. How does that sound?"

"I think I might just love you" she laughed making her groggy way towards the bathroom.

"I love you too Abs" he replied walking through the apartment to the kitchen and coveted coffee maker.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, a significantly more awake Abby made her way from the shower to the bed room in search of clothes. Walking up behind her, McGee wrapped her in a gentle embrace while handing her her coffee as promised. "Thank you Timmy!" she enthused as she spun around, nearly spilling the contents of the mug, to give him a chaste kiss. "Now you need to get a shower or we'll be late."

"Yes ma'am" he teased throwing in a salute for good measure as he walked into his bathroom. Surprisingly he found that she had in fact left him enough hot water this morning.

By the time that he had finished Abby had dressed, dried her hair and pulled it up into her signature pigtails, and applied her make-up. "Crap! We gotta go Abs!" McGee called as he got a glance at the clock. "I'm already late!"

"You're not late Timmy! You still have half an hour."

"No I don't Abs. I was supposed to be there three minutes ago. Gibbs expects us there by 0700."

"Alright already. I'm going, I'm going. No need to get so upset about it."

* * *

When they arrived at the navy yard, McGee decided to walk Abby to her lab, despite the fact that he was late. He figured what difference could a couple minutes make when he was already late. As the elevator reached her floor Abby bounded out of the metal box. Before the doors could close however, she was back to give him a kiss and wish him good luck dealing with Gibbs.

Arriving back in the squad room, McGee was happily surprised to find that Gibbs was nowhere in sight and at least he had beaten Ziva and Tony this morning. As he powered up his computer and began his regular morning routine, he noticed Gibbs making his way up the stairs to MTAC with two coffees in hand. Sparing a thought that Ziva and Tony, not to mention himself, may be able to come in late without the Boss knowing after all this morning he went about his work. As he observed Gibbs though, that thought quickly vanished. Gibbs keen eye took in the two empty desks as well as McGee sitting at his own.

Not two minutes after Gibbs walked into MTAC, McGee's phone rang. "Special Agent Timothy McGee."

"Timmy, its Abby. I'm so glad Gibbs didn't kill you. So how much trouble are you in?"

"Not nearly as much as Ziva and Tony will be when they finally show up. I haven't even talked to him yet. He was out getting coffee for himself and I'm assuming the director when I got in and he went straight to MTAC not three minutes ago."

"Tony and Ziva aren't there yet?! You should definitely call them. What if something happened to them?"

"I'm sure they're fine Abs, just running late. I mean it is Tony after all and he is late at least twice a week."

"Call them anyways McGee. I don't want them to be in too much trouble. They are our friends after all."

"Fine I'll call them."

"Good, call me back after you talk to them."

"_Goodbye_ Abby" with that he hung up preparing to dial Tony's number.

* * *

After four rings, the phone was answered not by Tony but by Ziva. She quickly informed McGee that they were on their way now and should be there within three minutes, although they would have been there by now if Tony had allowed her to drive. This latter comment was obviously directed more towards Tony than McGee. McGee didn't blame him though. He would rather be late than willingly submit himself to Ziva's reckless driving. Hanging up McGee called Abby quickly to inform her that he had called to check up on the missing couple and that they would soon be at work, with Tony safely behind the wheel.

* * *

"Miss us Probie?" were the first words out of Tony's mouth that morning.

"Nope" McGee replied honestly. "Abby was just worried that Ziva was late and wanted me to call and make sure nothing had happened to you."

"Sure! So has the boss-man said anything yet?" Tony asked slightly worried.

"No, he's been up in MTAC for a while now." As he watched the relief spread across DiNozzo's face, he couldn't help but shatter it, "He knows that you're both late though."

Grumpily, Tony took his seat and started up his computer, grabbing for the mail that had been delivered already that morning or late last night. Hunting around for his letter opener, he found that it was once again missing. McGee tuned out their petty argument and secretly hoped that they would get a case soon, because he didn't know if he could stand a whole day of paperwork and them today.

Eventually, sometime before Gibbs exited MTAC, his two coworkers actually got down to work. The next thing he knew, Gibbs was walking to his desk chastising Tony and Ziva for being late, but hadn't mentioned anything to him.

McGee held onto the breath of relief he was about to let loose when Gibbs' phone rang. He held his breath hoping that it was a case. Fortunately a less than a minute later, the phone was replaced and orders were doled out.

"McGee, call Ducky; tell him we got a body at Quantico. DiNozzo, gas up the truck, meet me in the garage in five."

Grabbing his gear and pulling his cell from his pocket, McGee proceeded to call Ducky with the information while making his way down to say goodbye to Abby.


	24. Morning Conversations and Rushes

**Chapter 23: Morning Conversations and Rushes**

Ziva was unsure what had woken her, but she was comfortable, despite the fact that she was obviously sleeping on the couch and not in her bed. It only took her another second to realize the source of this comfort was the fact that she was sleeping mostly on top of Tony. Relaxing into the comfort of the moment, she decided that it would not kill her to forego her morning run once. She didn't even fill the urge to check a clock to find the time. Instead, she simply snuggled down into Tony's arms and the warmth of the blanket covering them enjoying the feeling of complete and utter safety and love that she felt at that exact moment. She didn't know how long she lounged there before he began to stir.

As Tony drifted into consciousness, he felt a weight pressing him into the couch cushions. He also noted that Ziva's intoxicating scent seemed to wrap around him like a blanket. "Morning Zi. Not going for a run today?" he greeted in a sleep laden voice without opening his eyes.

"I was too comfortable. Its all your fault that I didn't get my run in this morning."

"Well then, I'm sorry" Tony replied sounding anything but.

They sat in a comfortable silence for a few more minutes as they both fully woke up, neither making any attempt to move from their comfortable position. Finally, Tony decided that it was time for yet another serious talk.

"Zi, what was wrong yesterday?" he asked quietly.

"Nothing was wrong. I am fine" she answered trying to pull out of both the conversation and his arms.

He simply wrapped his arms tighter around her and pressed a gentle kiss to the nape of her neck. "I know you were not 'fine' yesterday. Something Maddie said upset you, a lot. I think we need to talk about it. It'll make you feel better."

"Fine" she grudgingly agreed, but she made no move to say anything beyond that.

Tony groaned quietly to himself. Sometimes getting information out of this woman was like pulling teeth, especially if it had to do with her feelings. He debated with himself for a minute whether to ask more specific question or just wait her out, but she made his mind up for him when she started speaking.

"I am still unsure exactly what happened. All I know is that yesterday, when Maddie started blaming herself for what happened to Petty Officer Cotes, it reminded me of how I felt after … after Tali," she fought valiantly to keep the tears at bay, "died. I couldn't help but blame myself. I know it was not really my fault. There was nothing I could have done, but I felt guilty." As she continued to explain the tears finally broke the dam and began falling down her face. He simply held her tighter to himself hoping to offer comfort and continued listening. "Like I should have been there, or stopped her, or saved her. … I know it doesn't make much sense. At the time though, I was so sure that it was my fault that my baby sister was dead. Then when, when Maddie started crying saying it was her fault that her friend was dead because she wanted to rent a movie, it just brought up all those feelings I had about Tali. I did not even know why I was so upset over it yesterday. But it was really important to me that she know it was not her fault. Does that make any sense to you?" she finally asked.

"Yeah Sweetcheeks. I understand. It's nothing to feel ashamed about and if you think about it, it makes you the perfect person to have talked to Maddie. You know what she's going through and can kind of help her through it."

"I do not think I can help her. I never really dealt with it. In Mossad, feelings especially something like guilt are a weakness. You cannot show your feelings. I could not even show my grief and guilt around my own father. So I buried those feelings deep, deep down where I thought no one would ever find them. I do not know how to _deal_ with feelings. I have spent my entire life _hiding_ them" she confided sadly.

"I will help you learn. You don't have to hide your feelings anymore. And I'm not going anywhere so you can come to me with anything, ok?" he assured with a kiss. She simply nodded her head and leaned back into his embrace.

* * *

Some time later a thought occurred to Ziva sending her flying across the room. "Tony! It's Tuesday" she informed him urgently.

"Yeah, so?" he asked completely unfazed.

"So, Hairy Butt, it is already 0645! We are definitely going to be late!"

"Crap! Ok, here's the plan. You go get a shower and get ready, I have some extra clothes in my trunk I'll go down and get. Then we can leave. It'll be fine, I think" as he rushed towards her door to retrieve his shoes and keys he attempted to give her a reassuring smile.

* * *

By 0700h, Tony was dressed and using a spare toothbrush to brush his teeth, while Ziva attempted to do something with her still wet hair, having foregone the usual blow-dry in the interest of time. Even in their rush, or perhaps because of it, they moved effortlessly around each other in the relatively small bathroom as they hurriedly got ready for the day.

By 0705h, the two were out the door arguing about who should drive. Tony was adamant about not letting Ziva drive in the interest of staying alive long enough to reach their destination. Ziva was equally adamant that they were already late so it only made sense for her to drive since she could get them their faster. Tony argued that since they _were_ already late, the couple of minutes that could be saved at the expense of traffic laws and safety would be of little if any help. Surprisingly, neither gave any thought to the idea that they could make the argument a moot point by driving to work separately.

By the time that they reached the parking lot, it was determined, albeit grudgingly on Ziva's part, that Tony would drive since it would make more sense to leave _her_ car and not his at _her_ apartment.

As they neared the navy yard, Tony's cell began to ring. Deciding that it would be easier to negotiate early morning rush hour traffic with his full attention, Tony fished the phone out of his pocket and tossed it to the passenger seat with a "Answer that will ya?"

Rolling her eyes, Ziva answered, "Good morning McGee."

"Hi Ziva, where are you?"

"We are about three minutes from the navy yard, although we could have been there by now if _Tony_ had allowed me to drive" she informed him.

"OK, well Abby was worried that you were late. I guess I'll see you in a few minutes." With that they hung up.

* * *

"Miss us Probie?" she heard Tony ask as soon as they rounded the corner and saw McGee.

She couldn't help but smirk when McGee replied, "Nope, Abby was just worried that Ziva was late and wanted me to call and make sure nothing had happened to you."

"Sure! So has the boss-man said anything yet?" Tony asked slightly worried. She wouldn't admit it, but she was a little worried too.

"No, he's been up in MTAC for a while now."

"Thank goodness" she thought as she powered up her computer and started opening her mail, with Tony's letter opener.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Tony grumpily take his seat and start up his computer, grabbing for the mail on his desk.

Hunting around for his letter opener, Tony found that it was once again missing. "Sweetcheeks? What did I tell you about taking things that weren't yours without asking first?" Tony asked with a patronizing smile.

"I do not know what you are talking about Hairy Butt" she replied a sweet, innocent smile on her face.

"You know exactly what I am talking about Ninja. You have once again stolen my letter opener. Now how am I supposed to read my mail if you have my letter opener?"

"Did nobody ever teach you to share? It will not kill you to wait to open your mail until I have finished with mine. It may even be good for you. Help you to learn to be patient" she told him with a patronizing smile of her own.

At Tony's petulant look she laughed and walked over to return the letter opener before returning to her own desk to get to work. The last thing she needed was for Gibbs to catch her and Tony not working on top of being late.

Seeing that Ziva was obviously done with this particular round of distraction, Tony started quietly going through his mail and hoping that they would catch another case today. It was harder for Gibbs to met out punishments when they were working on a case than on paperwork days.

A few minutes later, the quiet of the squad room was disrupted by Gibbs' voice. "Nice of you to show up DiNozzo and David." Tony cringed in expectation of the head slap that surprisingly never came. Instead, Gibbs simply continued on his way to his desk. As he sat his phone rang. "Yeah Gibbs … alright." Tony and Ziva looked to him hopefully as he began distributing tasks. "McGee, call Ducky; tell him we got a body at Quantico. DiNozzo, gas up the truck, meet me in the garage in five." Tony deftly caught the keys that were tossed to him before retrieving his sig and badge from the drawer and bag from the floor.

At the elevator he was met by Ziva. "I have nothing to do at the moment, so I thought I would help you" she said simply as the doors opened.

"Sounds good to me" he smiled and took her hand as the doors slid closed and the elevator descended to the garage.


	25. End Notes

**Author's Note**

Ok, so I have a question for my faithful readers, please answer by 'reviewing'. I am almost done with this story. Should I:

A) Write a couple more chapters and leave the ending where I can write a sequal in the future

B) Write a couple more chapters and end with an epilogue

C) End it now as is

D) End it now with an epilogue

I really appreciate your imput, so please let me know what you think. It's Tuesday now, so I'll wait until Friday to write anything else for this story anyways. If you want me to continue it, let me know by then. In the mean time, I think I'll work on some oneshot ideas I have.

Thanks,

Amanda


	26. End Notes Thanks

**Author's Note**

First I would like to thank everyone who read this story. I really appreciate it and am glad that you enjoyed it.

Second, I want to thank all of you who messaged me about how i should end the story, you were a great help.

Third, I really want to personally thank hudson911 and cyn23 for consistantly reviewing and encouraging me to continue. You have no idea how often I sat down to write simply to keep from letting you down and waiting too long for an update.

Lastly, yes I will write a sequel. That is why I left the last three chapters as I did. I figured that gives me the perfect starting out place and case for the next instalment. I don't really know what the case is yet though, so it may be awhile, possibly even a few weeks, before I start posting the sequel. If you have any ideas you would like for me to incorporate into the next story, message me and I promise to consider them.

Oh, and I really need ideas for the title of the sequel, if one occurs to you.

Thanks,

Amanda


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